Run and Hide
by Chrystallized
Summary: When they said love hurts, they really meant it. He was young and naïve then, but the pain was still there. All that time he was just running away from it. AU - Leyna
1. Part I: Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm back on fanfiction! I don't really know how to feel about that, since I've discontinued so many of my other stories, but on the upside, I'm starting this new one. To prevent myself from getting writer's block, I planned each chapter in detail, from beginning to end, rather than going with the flow like I usually do. I've grown fond of this story in the process. Perhaps it would've been better if I'd started doing that earlier...well anyways, point is, I'm back, and I intend to stay.**

**This new story will involve people speaking in different languages. Foreign words will be italicized, as will any dialogue that has been translated to English. (Just to be sure, I will still use italicization to emphasize some English words, and to represent thoughts, so please don't think that those are all randomly spoken in foreign tongues.) I hope that doesn't get too confusing for anyone.**

**I'd like to add that this story will also be rather lengthy, compared to my other fanfictions; it's split into two parts and has more than twenty-seven chapters for sure. It still has go through some editing so chapter counts may fluctuate. **

**It is an AU fic. There are no gods and no great prophecy and no evil Gaea bent on destroying all civilization. There _will_ be hints of other numerous romances blossoming between secondary characters as the plot moves along. I have reasons for that, one being that I love shipping characters together, but I promise none of it will take away from the main romance.**

**Okay, I apologize for this author's note for being so long, so I'll cut it here. I hope you enjoy this first chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Leo, what are you doing?<em>" Angela asked in Spanish. A lot of the kids at the daycare spoke to Leo in Spanish.

Leo was outside in the fenced yard behind the daycare. There was a basketball court on the concrete, where a few kids were playing, and there was the grassy area, with the huge, shady tree and a small sandbox. Leo was sitting at the picnic table under the tree, and when Angela came up to him, his pen stopped moving along the surface of his sketchpad.

What Leo was doing actually wasn't complicated—he was making blueprints for another household contraption—but he figured eleven-year-old Angela wouldn't find it very interesting, so he simply said, "_Oh, just doodling something for another invention._"

Angela tried to peek at the sketchbook. "_It looks like a tree..._" she mumbled.

Leo held his sketchpad closer to his chest to keep it out of her sight. "_Angela, why don't you go play with Lexi?_"

"_You're weird_," Angela told him bluntly, frowning. Then she smiled and said, "_But that's okay_." She walked away to Lexi, who was busying herself with a pail in the sandbox.

Leo sighed. Angela was only a little girl, but she had her own opinions about everyone. She thought that Francisco was a video game addict, Beth was a bookworm, and Ricky was a "bad kid." But for Leo, she figured he had too many peculiarities to be labeled specifically. For the most part, though, Angela was a sweet kid.

"Leo!" Mrs. Jaramillo called from inside. "It's five o'clock!"

Checking his watch, Leo stood up and closed his sketchbook. He stuck his pencil behind his ear. Time went by faster than he'd thought; his mom would expect him home soon. Leo headed inside.

The daycare building wasn't too fancy: it had four secondary rooms excluding the back room (the nap room, the game room with a console and TV set donated by one of the parents, a movie room, and the library/study room where you could find a collection of books for the kids) with a play area in the main room by the front door. There was a small kitchen too.

Mrs. Jaramillo was cooking something. She was a good-natured lady, in her early forties, who had come to LA as a little girl. She easily picked up on English, so language barriers were no problem for her growing up. Her son had died of cancer seven years ago, and her husband was busy with work most of the time. Mrs. Jaramillo opened the daycare on a whim because she was evidently lonely. Luckily, it turned out to be a successful business, and she was able to keep it open rather than having it shut down.

Leo stepped into the kitchen and took a whiff. Empanadas.

"Wow, _Tia_, those smell amazing," Leo complimented.

Mrs. Jaramillo's eyes twinkled as she smiled. "_Gracias, mijo_." She took some on a plate and dumped them into a big paper bag. When she handed Leo the food, she said, "Here, share those with your mother, yes? Now, hurry home while they're still hot!" Mrs. Jaramillo ushered him out of the kitchen.

"Thanks Mrs. Jaramillo!" Leo grabbed his backpack, rushed out the door, and said goodbye to a few kids that saw him leaving. He grabbed his bike and walked down the short pathway from the door to the gate. When he opened the gate, Leo hopped on his bike and headed to his house, taking in a deep breath to smell the empanadas.

A few minutes later he arrived home. Leo checked the bag. _Still warm, _he thought. He left his bike on the porch and came inside the house, announcing loudly that he brought home food, although the only other person in the small house was his mom.

"From where?" his mother, Esperanza, asked. "Mrs. Jaramillo?"

"Mhmm," Leo responded, having already taken a bite from one of them. "And they are _delicioso._"

The two of them sat at the table and ate quietly for a moment. Looking at his mom, Leo knew that she was trying to think of a way to properly thank Mrs. Jaramillo for the food.

Leo made small talk with his mom, asking how her day was and how things were going in the mechanics shop. Normally he would have been there with her, but he spent some of his afternoons at Mrs. Jaramillo's daycare as sort of a part-time job. He got paid, which helped him and his mom, although he really just went because of the homey atmosphere. Plus, the kids were fun to be around.

After eating, Leo went on the computer for a while. When he noticed it was getting late he decided to go take a shower. Once he finished, he slipped on a comfy cotton t-shirt and pajama pants and headed into the living room. His mom was already there on the couch reading a book. When she saw him, she patted the spot next to her. Leo sat by his mom and looked at what she was reading. It was another novel, one that he wasn't too concerned with, so he just leaned against her like a little child and waited for her to finish.

Leo's mom sighed when she put the book down. He looked at her expression.

"What's wrong mom?" he asked.

"_Oh nothing_," she responded in Spanish. Then she held him close and added in English, "I just realized that you're growing up so quickly, and I'm getting older too." She chuckled, switching to Spanish again. "_Life is a funny thing_."

Leo had gotten used to his mother speaking like that, constantly switching between Spanish and English. It got to the point that by the time he was in school, he started talking to other people the same way, much to the confusion of his teachers and classmates.

"Come on, mom." Leo playfully nudged her. "You're not old. In fact, I think you're getting younger. I mean, look at you!"

Esperanza chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous."

"It's true!"

They both laughed. Leo's mom muttered in Spanish, something along the lines of "silly boy," and picked up her novel again. She rumpled Leo's curly hair affectionately and told him that he should probably get to bed. Leo got up off the couch and started to his room as Esperanza opened her book and began reading again. He looked back at her, trying to decipher her thoughts.

To be honest, Leo wondered how much his mom was working to get her machine design patented. It was a big deal to the both of them, since getting the patent could be the key to a better life, but Leo often thought his mom worked too hard for her own good. Sometimes he was worried for her health, especially when she came home late, exhausted and worn down. Every time he saw her tired expression, it made him think whether or not it would all be worth it in the end. However, Leo didn't have much time to dwell on the subject before he lay in his bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, Leo woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon wafting through the house. Sure enough, his mom had set the food on the table, along with some waffles. Leo sat down and piled food onto his plate. Esperanza watched her son with amusement as he devoured it all.

Leo ended his breakfast with an obnoxious belch, and Esperanza scolded him for his lack of table manners. She was smiling though, which caused Leo to crack a joke and make them both laugh.

"So mom," Leo began as he got up to wash the dishes, "are you going back to the shop again?" He noticed that she was already dressed to leave.

Esperanza was still at the table, holding her cup of coffee. She took a sip quietly. When she didn't answer, Leo looked back at her over his shoulder. His mom smiled warmly at him and replied, "I'll be home early, _mijo_. One o'clock, I promise."

"Aw, come on mom." Leo dropped what he was doing, turned to face his mother, and crossed him arms. He looked at her with slight frustration and said, "It's Sunday. The shop isn't even open today! Take a break once in a while; it's healthy."

Leo's mom got up and walked over to the sink. She rinsed out her cup, then kissed him on the temple and smoothed a hand over his hair. Leo gave her a defiant pout, so she moved her head to look at him.

"There's no need to worry about me," she said surely.

"Mom, you're the best mechanic in the world, but you should really rest up," Leo huffed. "You keep coming home tired."

Esperanza patted Leo's cheek affectionately, a wistful expression crossing her face. "_You are so much like your father_," she sighed in Spanish.

That stopped Leo short. That was a sensitive topic; he'd never known his father. When Leo was born, his dad had been forced to leave Esperanza and him because for whatever reason they were not allowed to be together. Leo didn't resent his father for it (well, okay, maybe a little…or a lot) but it pained him every time he went to the park as a kid and saw all the boys and their dads playing ball or eating together. He loved his mom though, and that was enough for him.

Seeing his stunned face, Esperanza gave Leo's shoulders a squeeze and headed out of the kitchen. He heard his mom open and close the door as she left. Leo turned back to the sink and began scrubbing intently, hoping to take his mind away from depressing thoughts and memories.

Since his mom would be at the shop until one in the afternoon, Leo decided he would go to the daycare again. He had never been there in the morning, or on weekends for that matter, but he knew it was open after ten on Sundays because Francisco was the only Sunday kid at the daycare. Leo checked the door to see if it was unlocked. When it opened easily, Leo called out, "_Hola_, Mrs. Jaramillo! It's me, Leo!"

"Oh!" Mrs. Jaramillo's voice came from the back room. She came to greet him. "What do we have here? I don't recall you ever coming this early. Especially Sunday. And you were here yesterday already."

Leo smiled. "Yeah, mom's at the shop today. I thought I'd stop by for a few hours." He stepped in and looked around. "Is Francisco here yet?"

"Actually, Francisco is not here," Mrs. Jaramillo explained. "I took the opportunity to come and tidy up. Francisco's father was off today, so they're going to spend the day together."

There was that word again. _Father_. Leo felt his face tighten, but it didn't betray any emotion. Mrs. Jaramillo knew the situation about Leo's father, and she seemed to realize her mistake because she quickly changed the subject. She clasped her hands together and said, "Since you're here, would you like to help me clean up?" When Leo didn't answer, she coaxed, "I'll pay you extra."

Leo finally realized that Mrs. Jaramillo was asking him something and snapped out of his trance. Mrs. Jaramillo's eyebrows were raised, as if asking, _So, do you accept my offer?_ He grinned, and then bowed to Mrs. Jaramillo dramatically. "I insist that this service be free of charge, madam," he jested.

Mrs. Jaramillo laughed lightly. She patted Leo's shoulder and went to the back room to bring out some extra supplies. Leo knew what to do. He spotted the broom leaning in the far corner of the room, so he picked it up and began sweeping. It took some time, but Leo managed to sweep out all the debris from the other rooms out into the main room. Mrs. Jaramillo was reorganizing the tables and chairs by the kitchen. She motioned for Leo to come help her.

"I'm sorry, Leo," she said. "I just have to clean up out in the yard, too."

"It's not a problem," Leo assured her, chuckling. "They're not even heavy to move around."

"Oh, when you're done with that—" Mrs. Jaramillo pointed to the small pile of dust and trash that Leo cumulated in the main room.

"Use the dustpan and dump in the trash bin out in the front," Leo finished for her, smiling. "I know the drill, _Tia_."

Mrs. Jaramillo rolled her eyes and laughed. "Just in case you forgot." She exited through the back door and closed it behind her.

Leo carefully spaced out the tables and pushed in the tiny chairs. He stepped back and admired his work. It almost looked like a mini dining hall. Less extravagant, with the short wooden tables and plastic chairs, but it was neat. Leo chuckled as he noticed that the tables' height only reached a little above his knees. He had been helping out at the daycare for a few years now, but the little things still got him every now and then. Like how someone carved a happy face on the tree outside, or when he saw that the kitchen looked much newer than the rest of the interior.

Satisfied, Leo went to the back room to grab the dustpan. He piled on as much of the debris as he could while using the broom so he could take it out to the trash bin. Leo had swept up very thoroughly and as a result, there was quite a big pile of dust and dirt and whatnot. He ended up having to take several trips back and forth from the trash bin because the dustpan was too small.

On his last trip outside, Leo noticed someone standing beyond the gate. It took him a minute to realize it was a girl about his age. She had her black hair tied back in a ponytail and she was staring at the daycare with her hand on the gate. When she and Leo made brief eye contact, she quickly pulled her hand back from the gate and hurried away.

_Well, that was weird,_ Leo thought before being distracted by the odor coming from the trash bin. He scrunched up his face and closed the lid. When he came back inside, Mrs. Jaramillo was getting the mop ready. Leo was about to ask if she knew about the girl that was just outside, but Mrs. Jaramillo asked him to go fix the books in the study room before he could say anything

"I'll mop up everything here," Mrs. Jaramillo told him. "Make sure you get all the books lying around in that room and put them in alphabetical order, okay?"

"Aye aye, _Tia_," Leo replied, giving Mrs. Jaramillo a salute. They both laughed, and Leo added, "This is a lot of work for one woman to handle, don't you think?"

Mrs. Jaramillo waved away Leo's comment. "Oh, I still have plenty of life in me, don't you mind."

Three hours of scrubbing, dusting, and organizing had gone by. The daycare was a small place, but boy was there so much to clean up. Leo plopped himself on the couch in the main room, and he was about to lie down until Mrs. Jaramillo came in and told him to take his shoes off before putting his feet on the couch. Leo obliged. It was hard to believe that Mrs. Jaramillo was still up and about, since she hadn't taken any breaks at all. She really did have plenty of life after all, or at least, enough left over to nag him about his shoes.

Leo checked the time. It just passed noon; his mom would be home in an hour.

"_Tia_, I have to go now!" he called, getting up off of the couch. He heard Mrs. Jaramillo's voice from the nap room.

"You left your jacket in here, _mijo_." She emerged from the room with his army jacket in one hand. Leo thanked her and headed to the door. "Say hello to Esperanza for me. Thank you for your free labor," Mrs. Jaramillo joked.

"Anytime, _Tia_," Leo said, putting on his jacket. "I'll see you soon."

Leo left, and instead of riding home, he walked his bike down the sidewalk for a little bit. He contemplated Mrs. Jaramillo's tone. "Free labor," she'd said, almost like she was making an inside joke. Abruptly, Leo stopped walking and felt his jacket pockets. He produced thirty dollars from his left pocket.

Mrs. Jaramillo usually only paid him five dollars an hour for helping out.

Shaking his head and chuckling to himself, Leo pocketed the money and decided to get on his bike. He should've seen it coming, even after he said he didn't want the money. Knowing Mrs. Jaramillo, Leo figured there was no way she'd accept the money if he tried to give it back.

"Ah, well," Leo sighed to himself. Then he chuckled. "Guess I better go tell mom that I worked overtime today."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, so I put them in LA because of all the Spanish-speakers and people of Hispanic descent, (I hope I'm not offending anyone right now...) but I'm also more familiar with that area than I am with Texas, which is where Leo Valdez really lived, and where I was originally planning on setting this story. **

**Leo's not exactly poor, but you know, just not rich. And Mrs. Jaramillo's kind of his second mother figure. Don't worry, more details on how Leo found the daycare will be revealed in due time.**

**Any constructive criticism is welcome, and I greatly appreciate anyone who points out my technical mistakes, but please don't be rude. It's like kicking puppies. **

**I have many hopes for this story, so I pray that you'll like it as much as I do.**

**~Abi-Jewel**


	2. Part I: Chapter 2

**A/N: I want you all to know that I will have irregular updates. I'm busy during the week, but since each chapter is planned, I will try to write up and edit as many chapters as I can on weekends. With that being said, you can expect a splurge of chapter updates at the end of each week, unless I happen to be _really_ busy. (For sure though, I'll update once a week.) It's a little weird, but I guess I'm just excited.**

**I already received three reviews since I posted last night, and I'm grateful for your guys' encouraging words; I spent all night wondering how people would react to the first chapter. Thank you all again!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.**

* * *

><p><em>School,<em> Leo thought irritably. _I _hate_ school_.

It wasn't that Leo was stupid; he scored pretty high on his tests and his grades never dipped below B- (except for that C in biology one time), but why did school have to be so incredibly _boring_? The only thing that kept him from dying of boredom was playing pranks on the teachers. Maybe if he had some close friends it would be more bearable, but Leo was afraid to open up his past to anyone, therefore all of his friends were pretty much just a superficial group of buddies that he'd hang out with.

Leo dragged his feet walking into his fourth period English class. Mr. Andrews, the teacher, was sitting behind his desk, flipping through the pages of a thick novel that Leo bet they were going to be studying in class soon. As he was about to take his usual spot (Mr. Andrews was one of the few classes in school with free seating), Leo noticed that there was someone already in the seat.

The kid had blonde hair and blue eyes. There was a scar on his mouth, and Leo couldn't help but think that he looked like one of those Roman statues they have in museums, just more in-the-flesh. Mystery Guy seemed completely uninterested in his surroundings as he tapped his pen against the desk. He noticed Leo when he looked up.

"Sorry, did you need something?" he asked.

Leo shook his head. "Nah, I just usually sit there." He took a seat to the guy's right. "You new this semester?"

Mystery Guy nodded, eyes now glued to the desk as he continued drumming it with his pen.

"Name's Leo." Leo didn't put a hand out or anything, he just rummaged through his backpack and took out his stuff, leaving it on the desk in front of him and setting the backpack on the floor.

The other guy looked at Leo for a second, as if deciding whether or not Leo was a trustworthy person. After a moment he said, "Jason."

The bell rang and Mr. Andrews ordered the class to sit down and be quiet. As Leo predicted, Mr. Andrews took the novel and showed it to the class, announcing that they would be studying it for the next few weeks. Leo also predicted that this would be another monotonous class period, which was why he already had a prank set up.

_Come on,_ Leo thought, _he's gonna have to sometime._

Mr. Andrews walked around the classroom and discussed a "brief" introduction of the book, then took a seat up at the front of the room on the chair that was placed behind a wooden podium. The book was still in his hand as he talked, and Mr. Andrews even gestured at it from time to time. Finally, Mr. Andrews ended his explanation and told the class that they'd have to use the school copies for reading, unless they already had the book. He pointed to a box full of books for the class.

"Now," Mr. Andrews continued, "when I call your name you can come up and get the book. Let me go get the list…"

He set the book down on the podium and Leo smirked. As soon as the book made contact, the entire podium crumbled piece by piece, leaving a pile of wooden parts scattered on the ground. Mr. Andrews blinked, wide-eyed at the mess before him. Leo snickered quietly and discreetly high-fived the kids sitting around him. It was a simple prank, but the look on Mr. Andrews face was priceless. Leo wished he'd brought a camera.

Jason heard Leo laughing and looked over. He gave Leo a _How'd you do that?_ look, but Leo just shrugged, smug with his achievement of making a fool out of the teacher. Jason let it go for now, secretly impressed that Leo pulled it off. The class watched as Mr. Andrews called the office to tell them that his podium had been destroyed.

After class, Jason went up to Leo. "Nice stunt," he complimented. "How were you able to get away with it?"

Leo scoffed. "They never catch me in the act. Well, except Hedge, I guess."

"Who?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Leo said. "You're new here. Hedge is the gym teacher. He hates my guts."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "No surprise there." He looked around as they walked outside. It was lunch now, but Jason had nowhere to go. "Mind if I join you for lunch?"

Shrugging, Leo replied, "I usually eat alone anyways, so it doesn't matter."

They bought lunch and found a spot at one of the tables in the outdoor cafeteria. It was awkward at first, with both of them eating silently and trying to think of a way to make decent conversation. Leo's interactions with others mostly consisted of playing pranks on them, or planning pranks with them. Jason wasn't exactly much of a talker either, but neither of them really wanted to be lonely.

"So…" Leo finally said, and Jason looked up. "How's life?"

Jason smirked faintly. "All right I guess. Living with my sister isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"You live with your sister?" Leo asked, genuinely curious now.

"Yeah." Jason pursed his lips. "My parents decided it would be best. They couldn't keep me around. I'd slow down their work."

"Sounds like you got cool parents." Leo's tone was sarcastic.

Jason shrugged, unaffected. "Could be worse."

"I guess."

"Yeah."

There was an awkward pause.

Jason ran his hand through his hair, trying to find something articulate to say. "What about your parents?"

Leo turned away, and Jason sensed that he'd touched upon a very sensitive nerve. He was curious too, though, so he waited a while to see if Leo would answer. In turn, Leo was thinking about whether or not he should say anything. Moments passed, and Leo spoke up.

"My dad had to leave when I was young. I don't know why. I've lived with my mom ever since; we struggled a lot." He took a deep breath, surprised to feel the sensation of relief. It was the first time he told anyone that. Except for Mrs. Jaramillo, of course, but she had already known his mom anyway.

"Oh," Jason said. He didn't give any words of pity, for which Leo was grateful.

Leo tried to change the subject. "You know, I just can't get over Mr. Andrews' expression in class today when the podium fell apart." He attempted to mimic Mr. Andrew's face, but he ended up laughing instead.

Jason grinned. "That was hilarious!"

"He looked like a cow that got smacked in the face with a shovel!"

Soon enough the two boys were joking away, doubling over from laughter as the conversation progressed and they found more and more things to laugh at. Leo noted that it felt good to actually laugh along with another person. Jason wasn't a bad guy. He tolerated Leo's lame jokes and wisecracks and listened well when Leo told him about him and his mom's struggles: how they had to keep moving from place to place while his mom looked for a good job, then finally settling in LA and opening up the mechanics shop. Leo even told Jason about his mom trying to get a patent for a machine design.

The bell went off, signaling the end of lunch. Leo asked what classes Jason had next, and was a little disappointed to find that they didn't have any more classes together.

"I guess I'll see you around then," said Leo.

"Yeah." Jason smiled. "Nice meeting you."

Leo walked off to his next class, not really aware that he had just made a lifelong friend.

School ended after what seemed like forever and Leo was anxious to get to the daycare so he could relax a little. Mrs. Jaramillo might ask him to do some work, but at least she never gave him painfully tedious work. Leo went to retrieve his bike.

As he rode to the daycare, Leo contemplated his new friendship. He thought it was kind of strange for him; he had never thought about telling anyone about his past life, yet he so willingly spilled the beans to the new kid in school. Then again, Jason had been equally open about his own life. Leo learned that Jason's mom was a popular actress before and his father was now the owner of a large company. Jason used to live in New York, but since his parents were hardly around, he was left with a "babysitter" most of the time.

Jason's parents eventually reasoned that keeping Jason in the house would just be another hassle, so they sent him off to his sister, Thalia, who lived in LA. Thalia was about five years older than Jason, making her twenty-two years old. Thalia was furious about Jason coming to live with her, not because she didn't like her brother (on the contrary, they were really close) but because she was still finishing college, working part-time as a guitar teacher at a local music school. She obviously didn't have enough money to support both her and Jason. For compensation, Thalia and Jason's parents offered to send their kids enough money every month to cover any extra expenses.

It sounded a bit ridiculous to Leo, kind of like they were saying, "Oh hey, we don't want you around anymore, but here's a thousand dollars! Have a nice life!" He wondered what kind of parents kicked their son out of the house and sent him to live all the way across the country.

Leo kept himself from feeling sorry for Jason; he knew that in that type of situation, the last thing you want is pity. When people give you that look like, _Oh, you poor, poor child,_ it was enough to make you angry about your life all over again. Sure, life wasn't fair, but no one had to remind you about it. He tried to imagine being in Jason's shoes, although he couldn't picture his mom doing anything like that to him. And as for his dad, well, Leo couldn't picture him at all.

_I wonder what dad is doing right now, _Leo thought to himself solemnly. Was he missing them? Was he looking for them? They had moved around a lot, maybe Leo's dad had lost track of their whereabouts. Leo was aware that his dad was forced to leave them, but was it so bad to dream that his dad was trying to get them back?

After all these years, Leo doubted that was true. His dad hadn't even contacted them once, as far as he knew, so why would he care about finding them now?

Leo turned the final corner on his bike and was quickly approaching the front gate of the daycare. He was so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed the person who was already standing there until it was nearly too late. The person, whom Leo saw was a girl, was unaware that he was about to crash into her with his bike.

"Look out!" Leo shouted, swerving to the side.

The girl turned quickly and when she saw Leo on his bike, she swiftly dodged by opening the gate and taking a step inside. Leo righted himself before veering off the sidewalk and onto the street, just as a moving truck passed them by. The girl stepped back out carefully and closed the gate behind her. She hadn't said a word, she didn't even look surprised. Her expression was annoyed, like she couldn't believe that Leo had the nerve to almost run her over.

Leo sighed, relieved that he didn't become road kill. "Thank God, that was a close one." He faced the girl and attempted to apologize. "I'm really sorry about that, I was just distracted. I didn't mean to cause an accident or anything."

The girl looked at him skeptically before saying, "Then I guess it's a good thing we're still both in one piece."

Leo chuckled, trying to get rid of the tension, because the girl was still glaring at him accusingly. He rubbed the back of his head and racked his brain for something to say, but as he looked at her, realization hit him.

"Wait," Leo faltered. "Haven't…haven't I seen you before?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay! Jason's here, and eventually Thalia will be too, which means I'll have more characters to work with. Not to mention Mystery Girl. I'm pretty sure you clever people have already figured out who she is. I'm not big on cliffhanger endings, really. If you have any questions, or if I've left something unclear, let me know and I'll address it as soon as I can.**

**And yeah, Thalia plays guitar in my story. I don't know, I needed some kind of part-time job for her that didn't seem too far-fetched.**

**Have a lovely day everyone!**

**~Abi-Jewel**


	3. Part I: Chapter 3

**A/N: Ah, reviews just make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Really, they do. I pretty much squeal in delight when I see a new one. I guess you didn't really need to know that, but I just wanted to let you reviewers know that you make me a genuinely grateful and happy author.**

**I hope this chapter is up to par with the rest because I was having some trouble with it. Either way, it is up and running for you all to read. In this chapter, Leo acts like a bit of an arrogant jerk, but he's really just making jokes and teasing because he finds it fun to do so. Typical Leo. Well, anyway, here's chapter three!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.**

* * *

><p>The girl crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. Leo was still trying to figure out who she was. She ended up turning her head to the side to prevent him from looking at her, but Leo had recognized her by then.<p>

"You're that girl!" he exclaimed.

She looked offended.

Leo caught himself. "I mean, you were here on Sunday. Right?" She had the same black hair in a ponytail and her face looked the same, too, just angrier.

The girl remained aggravatingly quiet. She raised her eyebrows and titled her head. Leo didn't like people silently staring at him, especially since he got the feeling that this girl wasn't thinking anything nice about the guy who almost ran her over.

"Are you, uh, going in?" Leo gestured to the daycare, and saw that the girl's hand still rested on the gate.

She looked at the daycare and sighed, shaking her head. "I'll just come back late—"

"Reyna!" someone called from the daycare. So that was her name. The two teens looked over and found Mrs. Jaramillo walking down the pathway towards the gate. She got a look at Leo and seemed delighted. "Oh, _mijo_, you're here now. Why don't both of you come in?"

The Reyna girl looked a bit uncomfortable, but Mrs. Jaramillo took both of them by the arm and led them inside; Leo struggled to drag his bike with him too. Mrs. Jaramillo instructed them to sit down at the table in the kitchen while she went to get snacks for them. Some of the kids saw Leo in the kitchen and waved, but they stopped short when they saw Reyna, who didn't seem to notice.

"How do you two know each other?" Mrs. Jaramillo asked, setting a plate with a mountain of cookies on the table.

Reyna gave Leo a hard look. "He almost ran into me with his bike just now."

"It was an accident!" Leo protested, as Reyna ignored him. He looked at Mrs. Jaramillo. "Honest, _Tia,_ I never tried to kill her or anything."

Mrs. Jaramillo patted him on the head and told him to calm down and eat a cookie. She headed out of the kitchen, leaving the two of them at the table. Leo got up and went to the fridge, looking for some milk. Reyna looked as though she was going to protest, but she stopped herself and turned her attention back to the plate. When Leo sat back down with a glass of milk, she looked up, scrutinizing his face.

"Mrs. Jaramillo is your aunt?" she asked him, her tone careful.

Leo, who had his mouth full of cookie, furrowed his eyebrows. He swallowed and said, "Oh, no, she's not my aunt. She knew my mom, so I've known her for a while too."

"How long is a while?" Reyna lost the caution in her voice.

Leo thought for a moment. "Six years."

Mrs. Jaramillo came back in the kitchen and sat down at the table with Leo and Reyna. She asked if they enjoyed the cookies. The two nodded and thanked her, even though Reyna hadn't tried one yet. Mrs. Jaramillo and Leo talked a bit in Spanish. Reyna looked confused and Leo realized that she didn't speak Spanish, with the exception of a few words. Mrs. Jaramillo then asked Reyna why she was here on a school day, which was apparently unusual, and Leo listened to them while he ate.

"Oh, I just wanted to apologize for not coming in on Sunday," Reyna admitted. She glanced at Leo for half a second before giving Mrs. Jaramillo an apologetic smile. "I hope it wasn't an inconvenience."

"Don't worry about it, honey," Mrs. Jaramillo said warmly. "Leo here happened to come in that day anyway, and Francisco didn't come. His father was off work."

"I see." Reyna snuck another glance at Leo

_What's her problem? _Leo thought.

Suddenly, Francisco came running into the kitchen. The little six-year-old stopped by Reyna and tapped her shoulder. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Reyna!" he called cheerfully.

Reyna looked surprised when she heard him. She looked to her side and saw Francisco holding out a book to her. Leo thought that was a bit strange, because Francisco would usually be in the game room. For the first time, Leo saw the caution in Reyna's expression melt away. She took the book from Francisco and read the title aloud.

"_The Little Fox_?" she asked.

Francisco nodded eagerly. He tugged on Reyna's arm. "Come on, Rey, let's go read it."

Leo snickered. "Yeah, Rey, better get going."

Reyna heard him laughing at her and shot Leo a glare before allowing Francisco to pull her out of the kitchen. Leo chuckled to himself. Reyna must've helped out at the daycare too, which explained why Mrs. Jaramillo and Francisco knew her. Although, the rest of the kids had no idea who Reyna was, and Leo had never seen her before. He wondered how that could be.

Mrs. Jaramillo chuckled. "I guess Francisco is excited; Reyna never comes twice a week."

"How do you know her, anyway?" Leo asked, referring to Reyna.

Mrs. Jaramillo smiled and began Reyna's story. It turns out that Reyna started coming in every Sunday the past few months, which is why Leo had never seen her around (he never went on Sundays, with one exception). Reyna found the daycare when she was taking a walk. She passed by the building and saw little Francisco chasing his father out the door, asking him not to go.

It happened to be Francisco's birthday that day, so of course Francisco was upset that his dad still had to go to work and drop him off with Mrs. Jaramillo. His dad walked away after telling his son that he needed to leave and Francisco was left pouting. Mrs. Jaramillo was at the door then, but Francisco was standing by the gate, not too far from Reyna.

"I would've gone to retrieve him," Mrs. Jaramillo continued, "but Reyna seemed to have it figured out. She talked to him, and convinced him to go back, but he only would if she stayed too."

Leo nodded. Francisco was a lonely kid at home. Mrs. Jaramillo was nice, but she couldn't play with Frank the way other kids could, and Francisco was the only kid who had to come on Sundays, so there was no one else there.

"It was nice seeing them get along." Mrs. Jaramillo chuckled at bit. "I could tell Reyna wasn't used to spending time with kids, but she and Francisco became good friends."

"I wonder why he's never mentioned her," Leo wondered. He spent a lot of time with Francisco too, but Francisco never once talked about Reyna.

Mrs. Jaramillo shrugged. "Francisco likes to keep his secrets, no? And Reyna does too, apparently. She comes around a lot, but I don't know too much about her; she's very…evasive, I suppose."

"Yet she still comes so often?" Leo chuckled a bit. Reyna was sounding like a more interesting person. Anybody with a lot to hide had to be interesting.

"She cares a lot about Francisco. Ever since that day, she has." Mrs. Jaramillo spoke matter-of-factly. "Once she cares about something, she's very protective. I at least learned that much about her."

A few kids were heard yelling outside, and Mrs. Jaramillo stood up. "Come on, I better go take care of that. I give you your chores afterwards"

"Aw, _Tia_," Leo whined, "but we can't let these cookies go to waste!"

"You're right." Mrs. Jaramillo picked up the plate of cookies. "Let's give some to the children, huh? Get up, _mijo_."

Leo muttered, "That's not what I meant," but followed Mrs. Jaramillo out anyway.

Mrs. Jaramillo passed out the rest of the cookies to the kids. Reyna was reading to Francisco on the couch, and Francisco jumped up when he saw the treats being handed out. Leo laughed inwardly at Reyna's flat expression as she watched the kids scramble over each other. He went and sat on the armrest of the couch, causing Reyna to look up at him scornfully.

"Francisco really seems to like you," Leo observed. When Reyna gave no answer, he continued, "I didn't know you were the type to go for younger men."

Reyna's face contorted with disgust at Leo's comment, but he just smirked at her. Leo found it fun to get under her skin. However, Reyna stood up and pushed him over before walking away. Leo fell hard to the ground and stared after in surprise. Reyna joined the kids and grabbed a cookie for herself. She sat back down on the couch, looking down at Leo and giving him a smug smile before taking a bite. Angela came up to Leo, who was still looking at Reyna incredulously.

"_Uh, Leo_…" Angela raised her eyebrows. "_Why are you on the floor?_"

"_I was napping,_" Leo grumbled, sitting up. Angela shrugged and left to go play with the other kids.

Reyna leaned on the armrest and peered over at Leo. "Lying down on the job?" She made a _tsk, tsk _sound. "I'm disappointed, Leo."

Leo set his jaw, but decided that he wouldn't let her get the last laugh. He gave Reyna a fake smile. "I'm sorry, _Rey_," he said, putting emphasis on her nickname. "I promise to do better in the future. Please forgive me, your highness." Leo laughed in his mind, and thought of the irony. Reyna's name actually meant _queen_ in Spanish.

Reyna narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything.

Leo smirked at her, getting up and dusting off his pants. He mockingly held out his arm. "Would you like an escort, my queen?"

The look Reyna gave him was remarkably satisfying. Leo shrugged off her appalled reaction and went to go ask Mrs. Jaramillo about his chores for the day. All Mrs. Jaramillo really needed done was for him to clean the kitchen thoroughly, while she told Reyna to stay in the main room and get to know the rest of the kids, though Leo suspected that Francisco would be hogging her attention.

It wasn't very long until Reyna came into the kitchen. She seemed to be searching for something, but when she saw Leo scrubbing the countertop, her eyes turned icy. Of course, Leo pretended not to notice.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Leo drawled sarcastically as he stopped scrubbing and looked her in the eyes. They were dark, but they seemed to glitter with a hate that made Leo shrink in his sneakers. For the sake of his pride, Leo managed to ignore his fear.

"Have you seen Mrs. Jaramillo?" she asked flatly.

Leo raised an eyebrow, trying not to show weakness. "She's out in the backyard cleaning up a mess that Ricky and Josh made outside. Why?"

"When she comes in, tell her that I left."

"Yes, your highness."

Before she left, Reyna gave Leo one last death-glare. From experience, Leo knew that girls were easy to tick off, and Reyna was no exception. She was just more hostile about it, and she seemed to take everything personally. Still, Leo obeyed her command and told Mrs. Jaramillo that Reyna had gone.

When Leo was done cleaning up the kitchen, he went back the main room. Francisco looked a bit disappointed, so Leo went to go cheer him up.

"Hey buddy," Leo said, ruffling Francisco's hair. "Why the glum face?"

Francisco sighed. "Reyna had to go home."

"You miss her, huh?"

Francisco nodded his head. "She's like my mommy."

That statement shocked Leo. Francisco's mom and dad got a divorce when Francisco was three, and Francisco hardly mentioned his mother to anyone. Leo imagined bad-tempered Reyna being motherly. The image almost made him laugh aloud.

"You know, I'll tell you a secret," Leo began, putting an arm around Francisco's small shoulders.  
>He leaned down to whisper into his ear. "Reyna kind of scares me."<p>

Leo pulled back. Francisco blinked his big eyes and asked, "Why, is she mad at you?"

_So, he figured it out. _Leo tapped his chin. "Well, I guess so. I almost crashed into her with my bike today."

The little boy laughed a little and called Leo a klutz. Leo protested jokingly and tickled him. After a few moments, Leo released him and Francisco tried to catch his breath.

"Hey Francisco," Leo said when the two of them calmed down. "You seem to know Reyna way better than I do. Do you think she'll hate me forever?"

Leo found it funny that he was asking this from a six-year-old, but Francisco took it seriously and thought for a while. "Probably," he said at last.

_Ah well, _Leo thought, chuckling. _That won't be a problem_.

Then Francisco added, "Unless she likes you."

Leo laughed again, but Francisco gave him an innocent look like he was being truthful. "What do you mean by that?" Leo asked the kid, just to humor him.

Francisco only shrugged. "I see it in movies. The girl hates the guy but then they fall in love and get married."

Without any further explanation, Francisco hopped off of the couch and headed into the game room, leaving Leo behind. Leo smiled and shook his head, mumbling "crazy kid" under his breath.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, Reyna's name actually does translate into "queen" in Spanish (_reina_), and in Tagalog (much of Tagalog derives from Spanish anyway), however in Tagalog they spell it the same way Reyna's name is spelled. I found that interesting since I'm Filipino, but sadly, I don't speak Tagalog. Oh well, you learn something new everyday I guess. **

**So yeah, Leo loves messing with her, and Reyna's just cold and unforgiving. Sounds like a great set-up for romance, don't you think? *sigh* And I like how Francisco is kind of warning Leo of it. Let me know what you guys think so far! **

**~Abi-Jewel**


	4. Part I: Chapter 4

**A/N: Finally, it's Saturday! I was originally planning uploading this chapter yesterday, but fanfiction was being weird and wouldn't let me upload for some reason. But I guess that's okay because in the end I decided to edit this chapter a little more.**

**Thank you so much to anyone who has been following the story so far. I hope you like this chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.**

* * *

><p>The next few times Leo went to the daycare, Reyna didn't show up—and she probably didn't want to—which was just fine with Leo. He wasn't itching for her to kick his butt for making fun of her, and by the looks of it, Leo was almost sure that she would. If he was lucky, he'd never run into her again.<p>

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for a while. Leo would make his regular trips to the daycare, carefully avoiding Sundays, and he continued helping out his mom at the machine shop. Being able to keep an eye on his mom gave Leo a peace of mind because she'd seemed to be getting more exhausted as the days went on. Whenever he felt she was slowing down, or becoming more scatterbrained, Leo would convince her to sit down in a chair for at least an hour while he took over. Eventually, Leo often found himself forcing his mom to rest, putting himself in charge the majority of the time they were at the shop.

Running the shop was easy; Leo had a special talent when working with machines. He never thought he was as good as his mom (she could fix practically anything), but Esperanza always insisted that Leo had a special gift.

"_Mijo_, I think it's time _you_ take a break," Esperanza insisted one day, after Leo spent four hours taking responsibility for the shop. Every time she tried to get up and work again, Leo prevented her from doing so.

Leo shook his head stubbornly. "Nuh-uh, mom," he said. "I can't let you work until you're perfectly rested."

"_I've been sitting in that chair for hours._" Esperanza complained to her son, rapidly speaking Spanish. "_I think that would be enough time_."

"You still look tired." Leo faced his mom and noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

Esperanza sighed and put her curly hair into a bun, the way she did before she set to work. But Leo refused to let her even get near the service counter, so she gave up. "It's late, _mijo_," she said. "Let's go home."

When the two of them arrived at the house, Leo went to go take a shower while Esperanza sat down at the kitchen table. Slumping back into a chair was a bit uncomfortable, after being in one for such a long time, but Esperanza had a lot on her mind the past weeks.

First was the machine she was working on getting patented. The idea was a more eco-friendly motor that could be used built in a variety of different ways to suit certain machines. She couldn't perfect it well enough; the prototype kept spontaneously combusting. Esperanza wouldn't give up on it, though. She knew that her son deserved a better life than the one she could offer, and getting the patent would better her chances of provided what she wanted for Leo. Seeing Leo working so hard in her place made Esperanza feel disappointed in herself. Her son shouldn't have to work like that, especially when he was only sixteen. He would age faster with all that responsibility, the same way she had.

Esperanza also wondered about how her son was getting along in school. He brought home high marks on his assignments, claiming it was "the least he could do" to make Esperanza proud of him, and Leo had also mentioned a new friend he met, a boy named Jason. As far as Esperanza knew, Leo had a hard time relating and bonding with other kids since he was little. Having to move around from place to place didn't help. They'd gone from Texas and kept moving west, state-by-state from there: New Mexico, Arizona, then a few cities in Southern California, including San Diego. Leo never had a chance to make lasting friends. It was nice for Esperanza to see her son connect with someone else.

Leo's father had occupied Esperanza's thoughts then. She fantasized about how great it would be to still have him around, helping her raise Leo, but she knew it was impossible. They loved each other, but their relationship was a mistake.

Esperanza scolded herself. Without that relationship, Leo would have never been born. Maybe he was destiny's compensation after presenting Esperanza a man she loved but couldn't be with. Of course, Esperanza wouldn't think of her son as nothing less than the best thing that ever happened to her, as any parent might. Still, if his father had stayed…

No, it was better to focus on what will be rather than what could have been.

"Mom?"

Esperanza snapped out of her thoughts and saw her son in the kitchen doorway. "Yes, _mijo_?"

Leo shrugged. "Nothing, just wondering if you were still up."

Esperanza laughed and got out of her chair. "I'm going to bed now, actually. I'll see you in the morning." She walked up to him and kissed the top of his head. Leo was getting taller.

"Yeah, okay." Leo looked at his mom. She had that sad look in her eyes again. "Good night."

When his mom smiled, the sadness went away from her face. "Good night, Leo."

Leo arrived at Jason's house in the late morning. He woke up late, so he didn't get to see his mom before she went to the shop, but she knew he would be out.

Since Leo first met Jason, the two had become great friends. And it was quite interesting how their friendship worked out. Leo was the talkative one, always cracking jokes and making witty remarks. Jason was normally quiet and wouldn't say too much, but he was a good listener and had a decent sense of humor. When Leo met Jason's sister, Thalia, he was surprised to find that she was more outgoing and open about her thoughts. She was also _really_ gorgeous, in Leo's opinion, but Jason didn't exactly appreciate Leo saying that aloud.

That day, Thalia was teaching at the music store, so Jason and Leo just sat around, planning to do whatever came to their minds. A couple of hours later, Leo had constructed a small catapult system out of silverware and rubber bands, and Jason set up a target range out in the backyard using paper plates and hanging them from the tree or sticking them against the fence with tape. Leo wanted to use paintballs (Jason didn't know nor did he want to know why Leo had them) but Jason insisted on using ammo that wouldn't explode and make a mess, since he was almost certain Thalia wouldn't be happy about that.

"I still don't know how you do it," Jason said, examining the small contraption as Leo set it up on the patio table. "Does it really work?"

"It's not a big deal," Leo said, shrugging. "And it should. It's actually a pretty simple structure. Here, hand me a rock."

Jason picked up a small stone and Leo placed it carefully on the catapult. When it was released, the rock flew straight ahead and hit the edge of one plate. Leo grinned, and Jason whistled, noticing a dent the stone made in the plate.

"That's cool," Jason stated.

"Yeah, I try," Leo replied smugly.

They spent the afternoon modifying the shooting range, and Leo made a few adjustments to the catapult every now and then. Jason was really impressed with Leo's handiwork, which helped boost Leo's self-esteem.

The two boys took a lunch break and sat down inside. Jason didn't have much in the fridge besides some leftover pasta that Thalia made, but neither of them minded eating it.

"You know," Jason began, "you should probably write about becoming an engineer in your essay for Andrews' class."

"Huh?" Leo was too busy eating to pay much attention. "Oh. That. I forgot about that assignment."

Mr. Andrews' had assigned the class an essay on what career they most wanted to have. It seemed like something basic they asked kindergarteners on the first day of school—what do you want to be when you grow up?—but Mr. Andrews' wanted at least three pages worth of the students' thoughts and research on their chosen careers. It was due the following Tuesday, but Leo had been procrastinating.

"I'm just saying," Jason continued. "You'd be pretty good at it. And your mom's a mechanic too, right? You've helped out a lot at her shop."

"I don't know, man." Leo furrowed his brow. "Working in then shop is different than all that engineering stuff, I think. I mean, I hardly know anything about being an engineer."

"Part of the assignment is the research." Jason said matter-of-factly. "You probably know more than you think."

Leo thought about it. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea. "So, what are _you_ writing about?"

Jason shrugged. "I don't know."

Leo snorted. "I guess you have a lot of options to choose from anyway."

"It's not that," Jason argued. "I mean I really don't know what I'd like to be."

"You'll figure something out," Leo assured him. "You're Jason Grace, remember? The Superman."

"Yeah, whatever man," Jason conceded, rolling his eyes.

"Worst comes to worst you could end up working at your dad's company."

Jason scoffed. "Now there's a thought," he said bitterly.

After some time, Leo checked his watch, and got up to leave, realizing that it was late. He bade Jason goodbye and rushed back home. While riding back, he silently prayed that his mom hadn't overworked herself. Unfortunately, when he got home, he saw his mother napping on the couch, something she almost never does. Instantly Leo knew that his mom had exhausted herself. Again.

Leo didn't want to wake her up, since she was finally resting, so he waited for her to get up on her own. A few hours passed and she still hadn't woken up. He didn't want her to end up sleeping on the couch all night and getting a sore neck.

Quietly, Leo sat on the couch and shook his mom's shoulder. "Hey, mom, wake up."

Esperanza's eyelids fluttered opened. "_Qué?_" She turned to him. "Oh, Leo. You're home."

"Yeah." Leo looked at his mother carefully. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were bloodshot. Leo sighed. "Mom, what are you doing?"

Esperanza sat up. She tried to say something, but she felt guilty for letting her son down. He wanted to make sure she was okay, and now she was showing him that she was working her limits.

Leo continued, "Mom, I know you want to work hard, but this…this is way more than enough. If you keep doing this to yourself, you won't have enough energy to see this project to the end."

"_Mijo_," Esperanza told him, "I'm doing this for you, so please understand."

"If you're doing this for me, then you can stop," Leo retorted. "I don't want anything that could possibly take my mom's life away."

"_Who said anything about taking my life away?_" Esperanza asked, surprised.

"_If you don't take care of yourself, who knows what'll happen to you?_" Leo clarified, mirroring his mother's language switch. He shook his head. "It's draining you're energy. You shouldn't go to the shop this week."

Esperanza's eyes became sad again, the same look that Leo had seen the other night. He knew it would make her uneasy to sit around the house for a week, but Leo knew she needed to rest, even if he forced her too. Leo was worried. He didn't want it to get to the point where he wouldn't even have a mom to come home to. His father was already gone; his mother couldn't leave him too. Wasn't Leo allowed to be that selfish?

When his mother didn't answer, Leo pulled his best puppy dog face. "Please?"

His mom laughed, which relieved him. "We'll see, _mijo_, we'll see."

With another sigh, Leo smiled a small smile. "Okay. We'll see."

They both went to bed then. Leo flopped onto his mattress and the gears in his brain began to turn. It felt like his mind was moving at ten thousand thoughts per minute.

Leo couldn't fathom why his mom was bent on working so much. Sure, the patent could mean her big break, but if she hurt herself in the process, Leo didn't know how he could stand it. The idea of being without his mom was a foreign concept.

A series of taps sounded through Leo's bedroom wall. It repeated, and Leo realized his mom, who was in the next room over, was using Morse code to speak with him. She'd taught him long ago, when he was about five or six, although they only gave each other simple messages from time to time.

_You okay?_ his mom was saying.

Quickly, Leo responded, going up to his wall. _Yes._

Silence. Then, _I'm sorry_.

_It's okay._ Leo pursed his lips. He hoped his mom wasn't feeling really guilty.

_Love you_.

_Love you too._

Leo last tap seemed to resonate through the walls, a lingering sound that rang in his ears. He crawled back into his bed and pulled his covers over his head. _Mom's going to be fine_, Leo thought to himself. _She has to be._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: She just works so hard, doesn't she? *sigh* And Leo worries about that. **

**Yeah, I put the Morse code thing into this story too. I don't know, but I liked it so I figured, why not? The way they use it is short and sweet, you know? Sorry, I guess I'm rambling. ****Please review! **

**~Abi-Jewel**


	5. Part I: Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi there! I'm sorry this update has been long overdue, but I was unable to access my story notes for a while. Now I've got them, and _voila_! I hope this is all right, because I don't know if I proofread this very well. This chapter's more Reyna's side, in case you wanted to know. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.**

* * *

><p>Reyna slumped back into her chair, silently cursing the essay her mother had assigned her. The prompt was simple: express the themes in the novel and your opinions on how well the author conveyed those themes through the story. But Reyna was never very good with words. It seemed to her that eloquence was a trait that she had failed to inherit. Her father, an attorney, always carefully crafted his speech. Her mother was a former university professor, who was famous on the campus for her compelling lectures, but had given it up to home school her first daughter six years after her marriage, and was now home schooling Reyna. Even Hylla, Reyna's older sister, always had the upper hand in verbal confrontations. It wasn't fair.<p>

_Suck it up, Reyna, _she chided herself. _Nothing ever is. _

Nothing was fair. Like how she was denied the normality of attending a public school because her father wouldn't hear of her subjecting to anything less than what he deemed worthy (which, in this case, was one-on-one instruction with her mother). Or how Reyna had to work her butt off trying to impress him. Or even the fact that her father was always busy anyway, so Reyna didn't have many chances to make him notice her.

Reyna blinked and shook her head. She stared at her laptop screen, and then at her fingers that were poised over the keyboard. Her screen was blank; she hadn't written anything yet. Reyna sighed, pushed herself away from her desk, and stood up. She needed to take a walk and get some air.

Reyna walked out to the front door, grabbed her shoes and her jacket, and called back, "Mom! I'm going for a walk."

Her mother's voice came from the living room. "Be back in an hour, and call if you need to."

"Okay!"

Reyna stepped out into the warm afternoon air, and Reyna immediately noticed that it was abnormally hot, even though the sun was hanging low in the sky. Reyna would have to be home before dark, whether that was in an hour or not, so she decided to make use of her time and began walking.

Walking around the city was always a good way for Reyna to recollect her thoughts and get everything straightened out in her head. She used to always go on long walks with Hylla and her mom when she was little; she was very close to them. Her father, on the other hand, was a lot more distant from her. Just her. He always favored Hylla, maybe because she was the first born, or that she was better at everything.

Granted, Hylla moved out of the house a few years ago, but that just made it harder for Reyna; her dad would always be calling Hylla to check up on her. Reyna just didn't fit into the picture. Hylla had always been daddy's princess, the next in line, the "heiress to the throne" as Reyna would often call her, although Hylla hated it.

It wasn't that Hylla was a bad sister because honestly, Reyna loved her to death, and Hylla always gave Reyna comforting words when Reyna was feeling low about her father's dismissal of her. "It's not that dad doesn't realize what you do," Hylla would say. "Trust me, you may think I'm the princess, but they named you the queen."

Queen. The word repeated in her mind, but in a different voice, one that belonged to a certain curly-haired nuisance. _Would you like an escort, my queen?_ Reyna curled her lip in disgust.

She hadn't thought about that kid ever since they met at the daycare, which was a while ago, and Reyna was now wishing that she could've gone a lot longer without his irritating smirk popping up in her mind. Hylla had always told her that boys were no good, but Reyna—having not really known many other people outside of her own household—didn't know that they were _this_ bad. Reyna hardly had any experience with guys, one reason being that Hylla despised the lot of them so much.

So far, Reyna could understand why. She met the guy (Leo, she remembered) only briefly, but she figured he was the arrogant and smug kind of person, the smooth-talker that hit on all the girls, a dangerous type that Reyna wasn't too keen on getting involved with. A dangerous type…that spent his free time helping out at the daycare with Mrs. Jaramillo.

_Wow_, Reyna thought to herself. _This is confusing_.

She kept walking until she wasn't exactly sure where she was headed. As she walked a few more blocks, the sun started to go down, and Reyna decided to head back. It took her a moment to realize that she didn't know where she was. The place around her didn't look familiar; the street signs had different names from the usual she had seen. Maybe she took a wrong turn or she went too far and ended up on a different side of the city. Reyna turned the corner and saw to her left a small mechanics shop, and to the right, some fast food restaurant was across the street. She definitely had no clue where she was.

Reyna walked up to the door of the shop, thinking that she could ask directions and be on her way, but something seemed a little off. Reyna pushed the door open and called out, "Hello?" Then she dropped her gaze as she walked in and gasped.

On the floor, a woman lay unconscious. Reyna hurried to her side and knelt down. "Miss?" Reyna asked as she shook her. "Can you hear me? Oh, gosh…"

Reyna pulled out her phone and dialed the emergency number. She impatiently relayed the necessary information, though she had to repeat it several times. After she hung up, she resumed trying to revive the woman. The woman was breathing, to which Reyna was relieved, but she made no response to Reyna's calls.

Behind her, Reyna heard the bell of the door sound as someone walked in. She turned around, thinking that it was much too quick for help to have arrived already, but when she looked over her shoulder, she saw a familiar person: the guy from the daycare. Leo.

"Hey mom," he said, rummaging through his pockets. He hadn't noticed anything was wrong yet. Leo pulled out a bunch of wire and started fiddling with it. "Sorry I'm late, I—" He stopped short when he saw Reyna kneeling on the floor. "What are _you_…" His eyes shifted to his mom's limp body. "Mom!"

Reyna allowed Leo to push past her to get to the woman. This was his mother? What luck Reyna had. She watched as Leo shook his mother just as Reyna had a few moments ago. Reyna tried to tell him that she'd called an ambulance, but she could tell he was only half-listening to her. There were tears in his eyes, threatening to spill. Reyna put a hand on his shoulder and he looked straight at her.

Reyna was startled by the worry in his eyes; it made him look like a completely different person from the boy she'd met at Mrs. Jaramillo's daycare. She tried to comfort him, but when he looked at her with such anxiety the words failed her. No surprise there.

"She's going to be fine," Reyna managed to say.

Leo looked down at his mom again, and the sound of a siren came and grew louder as the ambulance approached.

At the hospital, Reyna waited outside the patient's room. Leo was inside with his mother, who had suffered from severe exhaustion, and the heat didn't help much. It wasn't too serious, but it was a good thing that she got medical attention.

Leo was sitting on a chair by his mother's hospital bed. His mom was sleeping. Leo had his hand on hers, mumbling to himself, but also accusing her of not listening to him and getting hurt, though she couldn't hear him. Eventually, Leo sighed and gave up for the time being, making his way out the door as a nurse walked into the room. He found Reyna still in the hallway.

"Is she all right?" Reyna asked him.

Leo ran a hand through his hair. "Yup. She just needs a lot of rest."

Reyna nodded, and an awkward silence fell between the two of them. Reyna sat down in one of the chairs against the wall and Leo took a seat next to her. They both didn't say anything, but Reyna could see Leo thinking hard about something. Finally he spoke.

"Look," he began. "Um, thank you."

Reyna made a noise that could have been a chuckle, but Leo mistook it for a scoff.

"No really," he said seriously. "I owe you big time."

"I only showed up and called for help," Reyna told him. "If you weren't late it might've been different." Reyna looked at Leo, but he appeared slightly offended, as if there was an undertone to her voice. "Oh, I didn't mean that. You were just, uh, worried, so…" She trailed off in frustration. "Never mind."

Leo switched the subject. "I'm sorry I was a jerk to you before," he said abruptly.

This time, Reyna really did scoff. She didn't let things like that go very easily. "Really, now?"

"Oh come on," Leo begged. "Don't be petty Reyna. I was only trying to be funny then. And to be honest, I never really thought I'd see you again, so I didn't see the harm," he finished lamely.

"That's your excuse?" Reyna asked incredulously. She actually laughed. "You are ridiculous."

"Hey, besides me making fun of you, what do you have to dislike about me?" Leo asked innocently. "You don't know me, and I don't know you. At least, not personally." He leaned toward her and raised his eyebrows.

"True," Reyna conceded.

Leo gave her a grin. "How 'bout we get to know each other then, your highness?"

"How about no?"

The nurse came out of the hospital room and saw Reyna giving Leo a death glare. Then the nurse cleared her throat looked at Leo. "Are you Leo Valdez?"

Leo nodded, and the nurse told him that his mom was awake and wanted to see him. When the nurse left, Reyna got up and said, "I should go." She was feeling a little uncomfortable about Leo's offer, although she blatantly rejected it. Obviously making her uncomfortable was his thing because he told her to come and meet his mom.

"Why?" Reyna asked, almost rudely. She didn't really want a confrontation.

Leo sighed. "Because unless you do, my mom will never stop bugging me about it. Especially because you technically were the one who helped her, not me, and I can't lie to her." Leo knew his mom. Esperanza would want to thank Reyna and apologize and offer something in return. If she didn't get that chance, she would make sure she would, somehow. And Leo would be that "somehow."

Reyna's eyes darted from Leo, to the door, then back to Leo. "Okay," she said uncertainly.

Leo nodded his approval, and Reyna couldn't help but roll her eyes as he opened the door to the hospital room. In the room, there was only one bed. Reyna saw that the occupant had the same curly hair as Leo, and the same smile too. The woman's eyes lit up when she saw Leo, and he took a seat in an empty chair by the bed.

"Who's this?" Esperanza asked kindly, looking at Reyna.

"Oh, that's Reyna," Leo told her. "She called the ambulance. She's my, uh, friend." Leo glanced at Reyna, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing, but Reyna looked passive. "And Reyna, this is my mom, Esperanza."

Reyna tried to smile, but she was standing off to the side, feeling very out of place.

"Reyna," Esperanza repeated, laughing a little. She whispered to Leo in Spanish, "_She even looks like royalty, eh? She's quite pretty._"

Leo chuckled too. "_She hates when I call her, 'your highness.'_"

Reyna looked at the two of them, confused, and wondered if they were laughing at her, since she spoke almost no Spanish whatsoever. Esperanza beckoned her over and Reyna took tentative steps towards the bedside. Leo got up and brought a chair over to Reyna, a gesture she didn't expect. He sat back down after Reyna took her seat and Esperanza spoke to Reyna.

"Thank you for your kindness," Esperanza said. "Did my son give you much trouble?"

Reyna cracked a half-smile, but shook her head. "No, not at all, Mrs. Valdez."

Esperanza nodded. "You could call me Esperanza, dear."

"Oh, okay." Reyna shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"No need to be nervous," Esperanza coaxed. She smiled when Reyna looked at her. "Don't worry, I won't bite."

"But Reyna might," Leo muttered under his breath, and Reyna and Esperanza both glared at him. He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, sorry. Just trying to ease the tension."

Ignoring him, Esperanza continued. "Well, thank you for your kindness, young lady. I'll have to repay you somehow." She smiled again, and Reyna relaxed a little more. Then Reyna saw the clock on the wall and realized it was getting late.

She faced Leo and Esperanza. "Um, I have to leave now; my parents are expecting me home." She stood up. "I'm sorry I have to go so soon, I hope you'll get better, Mrs. Valdez."

Esperanza smiled warmly. "Thank you. I'm sorry I put you through this."

Reyna shook her head. "It's no big deal really. Good bye, then." Reyna exited the room feeling quite awkward. Then she realized that Leo had followed her out, and she was suddenly irritated.

She spun around to face him. "Do you need something?"

"No." Leo shook his head. "I just wanted to thank you, again. And apologize, um—"

"Again?" Reyna finished.

Leo smiled, with a glint in his eyes that Reyna couldn't place. "Yeah."

"I forgot to ask," Reyna said, pursing her lips. "Will your dad be coming?"

Leo blinked, taken aback. "Huh?"

"To check up on your mom," Reyna clarified. "Did you call your father?"

"Oh." Leo looked down at his shoes and rubbed the back of his head. "It's just us. Me and my mom. My dad's not around."

"Um" was Reyna's comforting answer. She was suddenly glad that she hadn't asked that in front of Esperanza. Leo chuckled at her awkwardness. "Sorry," Reyna continued. "I didn't mean—"

"Nah, it's fine." Leo gave her a sheepish smile. "My mom's just been working really hard ever since, and well, yeah."

Reyna understood Leo's vague explanation. Esperanza's hard work had ultimately led to her being in the hospital now, and Leo knew how dangerous it was for his mom to overwork herself. Reyna nodded silently. Leo was glad she didn't ask any questions. He didn't feel like explaining anything.

Reyna checked the clock on the wall. "I really should be going."

Leo nodded. "Yeah, okay. Be careful on your way back, your highness." He smirked, though the mischief in his eyes was more playful than insulting.

Reyna pretended not to hear that last part. "Mhmm." She started down the hallway. Then she stopped and turned. "So, Valdez, I guess maybe…I'll—"

"See you around?" Leo finished. Reyna didn't miss the smugness in his voice, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," she said, and walked away.

Reyna took the bus home. Her house was only a few blocks down from the nearest stop, so thankfully she didn't have to walk far. When she made it home, however, she saw her dad's car in the driveway. Reyna cursed. No doubt her dad would be mad for being home late. Her mom wouldn't be so bad to confront, but her father was scary when he was angry.

She walked in and announced her arrival, and Reyna was soon greeted by her mother.

"Hi mom," Reyna said, smiling slightly.

Reyna's mom raised her eyebrows. "You never called, Reyna."

Called. Oh, shoot. Reyna felt her pockets. She didn't have her phone. "I must've left it at the hospital…" she mumbled.

"Hospital?" her mom inquired.

"Oh," Reyna looked up, embarrassed. "Well, something came up with…a friend of mine. His mom's at the hospital right now."

Reyna quickly relayed the details to her mother, who nodded in understanding after the story was over.

"So, um," Reyna went on, "is dad really mad that I'm home late?"

Reyna's mother smiled. "I'll tell him what happened. He should understand."

Relief washed over Reyna. She wouldn't have to deal with her dad.

"I'm proud of you for helping out Reyna," her mom continued. "Keep it up."

Reyna smiled too, but in the back of her mind, she wished her dad would've said those words to her, just once. _I'm proud of you_.

"Thanks, mom."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, how was it? Poor Esperanza, having to go to the hospital. But she's fine, so yippee! The hints of Leyna are definitely there, I think. Lovely, no? Hahahaha. Oh, yeah, and Reyna struggling to impress daddy dearest...and Leo not having a daddy...oh my, I've created a bunch of daddy problems for my characters, haven't I? **

**Oh, and I'm not sure if (m)any of you noticed, but I changed Maria's name (my OC from the beginning chapters) to Angela. I'm sorry if that causes any confusion, but the name Maria just wasn't working for me for some reason...**

**Well, till next time, then!**

**~Abi-Jewel**


	6. Part I: Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been another irregular update but my computer has been acting wacky lately. I hope this will satisfy ya'll till the next update because it's pretty lengthy. Much Leyna in this chapter, mind you. (Oh, and excuse me if my Spanish is totally off; I got it of the internet.)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.**

* * *

><p>Leo set the glass down on the table. Since his mom had that trip to the hospital he would hardly let her lift a finger to do anything. Leo had even come home after school to check on her before going to Mrs. Jaramillo's. Esperanza wasn't allowed by the doctors to do anything strenuous for awhile, but she figured she was still able to get her own cup of water.<p>

"Isn't this a little overboard?" Esperanza asked her son.

Leo turned to his mother. "Don't you think working till you faint is a little overboard?"

He wasn't trying to be mean, but Leo was a little angry about what happened. After all he tried to do to prevent it, it wasn't enough.

"It was the machine again, wasn't it?" Leo asked as he sat down.

Esperanza knew he was referring to the machine design she was working on. She sighed in defeat. "_Si_."

"Maybe you should take a break from it," Leo said before taking a bite of his microwavable pasta.

His mom looked at him sadly. "Oh, _mijo_, how could you say that?"

"Mom." Leo dropped his fork on the table in frustration. "Look, I know how important this is, okay? I know, I get it. But you're pushing yourself way too far now, and I won't let you do it again. _Santa cielo_." Leo put his head in his hands. "Just…just take it easy. We're not going to give up on it, I promise. For now, just focus on the shop, nothing else."

Esperanza looked at her son in surprise, but she understood where he was coming from. She got up out of her seat, walked around the small table towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and she smiled.

"Okay, _mijo_." She conceded. "No more working on the design. _Por ahora."_

Finally, Leo grinned. "Thanks, mom." He checked the clock. "I'm supposed to be at Mrs. Jaramillo's in ten minutes."

Leo bade his mom good bye and hopped onto his bike, heading for the daycare. Reyna's phone was in his jacket pocket; he picked it up after she'd left it on the chair at the hospital. Leo figured he could give it to Mrs. Jaramillo to give to her.

Reyna was something else, Leo thought. He didn't really know much about her, but she was different from the other girls he met or hit on. Not that Leo was trying to hit on Reyna. Of course, he did propose that they become friends, but she denied him on the spot. Then she said (or, well, she agreed) that she'd see him sometime, whenever that would be.

It was maybe the way Reyna carried herself. You would think she was someone important and dignified, slightly intimidating. But Leo saw that flicker of insecurity in her eyes, and he wondered where it came from.

Leo reached the daycare just in time. He went through the gate, parked his bike by the door, and walked straight in, loudly announcing his presence. A few kids came up to him to say hello, and he noticed they were all wearing party hats.

_Oh, right_, Leo thought. _Beth's birthday is today_. Beth celebrated her birthday at the daycare. Whether it was because most of her friends were here, or she had nowhere else to celebrate it, Leo didn't know. Beth had been going to the daycare for four years, but she never let Leo in that much.

When Leo saw Beth, he went to wish her a happy birthday. "That makes you nine today, huh?" Leo said. "How do you like it?"

Beth gave him a toothy smile. "It's fun."

At that moment, the back door opened. Leo expected to see Mrs. Jaramillo, but instead it was Reyna. Leo caught her eye, and she gave him a nod of acknowledgement before saying, "Okay, everyone outside now. Mrs. Jaramillo has some games planned for you."

Leo thought that Reyna looked really preppy with her khaki skirt and white blouse. He didn't notice it before, but the way she dressed made Leo wonder whether or not Reyna attended a private school or something.

The kids filed out through the back door and into the yard. All of them had gone out, leaving Reyna and Leo inside.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "So, I guess you help on weekdays now?"

"Not particularly," Reyna replied. "After our first few encounters I decided I had to make sure you weren't being a bad influence on the kids."

Leo chuckled. "What do you know; you have a sense of humor."

"I wasn't joking," Reyna replied smoothly, though she was smirking.

"Whatever you say, your highness." Leo managed to ignore Reyna's glare. "So why are you _really_ here?"

Reyna scoffed. "You make it seem like it's a crime for me to be here." She sighed. "Actually, Mrs. Jaramillo called me to come help her bake some cupcakes for Beth. Well, she called my mom, anyways; I lost my phone. Hey," Reyna suddenly looked alert, "did you happen to see it at the hospital?"

Leo contemplated whether or not he should tell her. It'd be easier to give the cell phone to her now and get it over with, but it would be more fun to mess with her a little bit.

"Well," Leo began, "I saw it, and brought it home. I was going to give it to Mrs. Jaramillo to give it to you, but I forgot it today."

Reyna seemed to buy it. She looked a little disappointed. "Oh. Okay. I'll get it from you later then, I suppose."

Mrs. Jaramillo came into the room then. She looked quite exasperated, and when she opened the door there was a loud ruckus that could be heard outside. "Oh, Leo," she said. "Good, you're here. I came to check on Reyna. Help her with the cupcakes. Reyna, you know what to do now, right?"

Reyna nodded and Mrs. Jaramillo went back outside. Leo chuckled, saying that Mrs. Jaramillo must be busy with the party in the backyard. Reyna interrupted him and told him they should probably get started on the cupcakes. Leo didn't really want to help with the baking; he hadn't done any baking in his life. But Reyna was persistent and didn't allow him to get off scot-free.

The disaster slowly began when Leo accidentally dropped an egg on the floor after trying to crack it. Reyna cleaned it up and complained, "Goodness, Leo. Don't you know how to bake?"

"Um." Leo looked around. "No. You?"

"I used to bake with my sister a lot." Reyna got up and threw away the paper towel and egg remnants. "Here, I'll just do the baking. Get the cups."

Leo started taking out a glass from the sink.

"Not those cups!" Reyna snapped. "The ones for the cupcakes, Valdez."

Leo put his hands up in surrender. "Relax, your highness," he said. "I was just going to get some water. I'm thirsty." He reached for the cupboard to his left and produced the baking cups, tossing the pack at Reyna. "Happy?"

Reyna groaned. Leo snickered discreetly. He was enjoying teasing Reyna, even though she looked like she hated him with a burning passion sometimes.

When the cupcakes were done baking, they had to put the icing on them. Mrs. Jaramillo had an assortment of those little tubes of icing with the different tips for decorating. Leo wanted to put whatever on the cupcakes, whether it actually was a pattern or just a glob of the stuff. Reyna insisted that the cupcakes were all done the same. As they argued, they could hear the kids coming in from outside.

"What's the difference?" Leo asked. "They're just going to eat them."

"That's no excuse to do a sloppy job," Reyna retorted.

"Leo, Reyna!" Mrs. Jaramillo called from outside the kitchen. "Almost done?"

"Yes, _Tia_," Leo yelled. He turned back to Reyna. "Come on, Reyna." Leo took one of the tubes and "decorated" four cupcakes. One of them looked like it had a spider on it.

Reyna stared at him incredulously. She picked up one of the cupcakes and examined it, while Leo looked at her like, _See, it isn't so bad._ Without warning, she caked Leo's face and let the cupcake fall to the floor. As Leo stared back in disbelief, Reyna crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

Oh, it was _on_.

Leo squirted more icing on his fingers and smeared it down Reyna's nose. Reyna took another one of Leo's iced cupcakes and began chasing him around the kitchen with it. Leo suddenly spun around and made one swift movement that put himself behind Reyna, holding her around the waist while pinning her free arm to her side. He grabbed her other hand—the one holding the cupcake—and slowly forced the cupcake toward her face as she struggled against him.

"Let go, Valdez!" Reyna protested, but she was laughing.

Leo was cracking up too. "Okay, your highness. As long as you promise not to cake me again."

"Valdez—"

"Promise," Leo repeated. "No more cake on Leo's face."

"Okay!" Reyna managed. "I promise."

Just then, a new voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. "Um…hello?"

Leo and Reyna both turned to see a teenage guy leaning against the wall, one eyebrow raised questioningly. Leo quickly let go of Reyna as she rubbing the icing off her face.

"_I'm looking for Angela,_" the guy said to Leo in Spanish. "_There was no one I could find to ask. I'm Antonio, her brother._"

"Oh," Leo said. Angela's mother was usually the one to pick her up. "_She might be in one of the other rooms. Mrs. Jaramillo probably went outside again._" He looked at the cupcakes. "_We're just about to pass these out so you can stay a little._"

The guy nodded and left.

"What did he need?" Reyna asked.

"He's Angela's brother," Leo explained. "He couldn't find her."

Reyna washed off her face in the sink and Leo sighed. With her hands dripping wet, Reyna flicked quite a bit of water in Leo's direction, making him flinch.

Reyna smirked. "You clean up," she said. "I'll help him find Angela."

"Why do I have to clean up?" Leo whined.

"Because," Reyna rolled her eyes, "I did the baking, so you do the clean up."

Reyna left the kitchen, leaving Leo to grumble to himself. She laughed a little then went to go to Antonio, who she saw looking into one of the rooms. Cautiously, she came up to him and tapped his shoulder. When he turned around, he flashed Reyna a smile, showing off his straight teeth.

"Well hey," Antonio greeted her. "You look better without the frosting on your face."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Have you found your sister yet?"

Antonio shook his head no.

"She might still be outside then," Reyna told him. "You could go check if you'd like."

"Nah." Antonio shrugged. "I'll just wait; I have time. Name's Antonio, or Tony, if you like."

Reyna scrutinized his face. "Reyna. You can take a seat on the couch if you want, Tony."

"Geez." Leo's voice came from behind Reyna. "You make it seem like he's in the waiting room of a hospital." He and Tony laughed, and Leo continued. "I would know, I was just there."

"_We_ were," Reyna corrected, as if to remind Leo.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Yes, your highness."

"Hey, where's your jacket?" Reyna asked, noticing that Leo was only wearing a white t-shirt instead of the army jacket that she saw him wearing earlier.

Leo pointed back at the kitchen with his thumb. "I took it off when you left me to clean the kitchen."

Tony whistled and turned to Leo. "Wow, tough love, eh man?"

"Not even," Leo said, smirking. "She doesn't even like me."

Reyna pursed her lips. The two boys were laughing again, so she decided to go and check if Leo actually did clean the kitchen. To her surprise, everything was looked fine again, and when Mrs. Jaramillo came to take the cupcakes out, she didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong (though Mrs. Jaramillo did scold her for making the children wait so long for them).

Reyna walked around the table in the kitchen, scanning the ground, and noticed that Leo's jacket had dropped onto the floor. She went to go pick it up, and heard something clatter on the tile. Reyna picked it up and was about to put it back in the pocket when she realized that it was a phone. _Her_ phone.

"Why that…" Reyna mumbled. She shoved her phone in her jeans pocket, intending to confront Leo about it later.

After the cupcakes had been passed out, Tony went to take Angela home. As he passed by Reyna, he winked. Reyna looked away, but Leo caught her blushing. Tony came up to Leo.

"_She's cute,_" Tony spoke so Reyna wouldn't understand. "_Don't let her get away, man._"

Angela looked at them inquisitively. "_Leo, is Reyna your girlfriend?_"

Leo laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "_Well_—"

"_Not yet_," Tony interrupted, raising an eyebrow at Leo.

"Bye guys," Leo said, all but pushing Tony out the door. As they walked off, Leo shouted, "_And no messing around in my love life!_"

He laughed as he closed the door. Tony probably thought there was something between them when he saw Leo and Reyna laughing in the kitchen. And if Tony got Angela involved, there'd be no end to it. Angela could be quite nosy when she wanted to be. Leo didn't want any messes that he'd have to clean up. But Leo talked with Tony long enough to know that Tony was a pretty cool guy, so maybe Leo didn't have anything to worry about. Plus, Leo didn't like Reyna; he just liked messing with her.

Or at least, that's what he thought.

The kids were still running around inside and some were outside with Mrs. Jaramillo. Most were hocked up on sugar, and Reyna was trying to keep Ricky and Kevin from knocking stuff over. Leo chuckled. Reyna wasn't actually that bad at taking care of the kids; maybe Francisco had been right about Reyna having a maternal side.

"Hey, your highness, you need some help?" Leo asked.

Reyna had crouched down holding Ricky and Kevin by their shirts and she kept them apart as they tried to swing feeble punches at each other, laughing their heads off. "No," she panted. "I'm fine—"

She stopped short. Kevin had landed a punch to Reyna's face, but it wasn't a half-hearted punch. He swung just a bit too hard and even cracked a few knuckles against Reyna's jaw. He stared wide-eyed at Reyna as she blinked and rubbed the side of her face. Leo ushered Ricky and Kevin outside. Reyna stood up, stretching out her jaw in circular motions.

"Wow," Leo said. "You okay, your highness?"

"I think I just bit out a huge chunk of my tongue." Reyna swallowed. "Yup, that's blood."

"That's gross." Leo walked her into the kitchen again. "Maybe you should rinse your mouth out."

"Thanks," Reyna muttered. She filled a cup with water and tried to wash her tongue.

Leo watched her and leaned against the counter. Clearing his throat he asked, "So, uh, you like Antonio?"

Mentally he cursed himself. Why was he even asking? Maybe it was his ADHD; it always made him impulsive. Reyna seemed to be thinking the same thing. She raised an eyebrow. "No. He looks like he's seventeen."

"Ah, right." Leo nodded. "You like younger men, I forgot."

Reyna shoved his shoulder slightly. "That's none of your business."

Leo looked at her in amazement. "You didn't even glare this time!" He felt her forehead. "Did Kevin hit you that hard, your highness?"

Reyna rolled her eyes, brushing his hand away. "Do you _want_ me to be mad at you for it, Valdez?"

He shook his head and put his hands up in surrender. "No one likes the evil queen."

"Well then, there you go." Reyna put the cup away and pressed a paper towel to her tongue, pulling it away to reveal a red splotch. Disgusted, she threw it away. "And anyways, I have other things to be mad at you for." Reyna turned to Leo and pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Care to explain?"

"Well…uh." Leo looked around for an escape. She must've found it in his jacket when he left it in the kitchen.

"You put your number in it, too," Reyna noticed. She clicked a few buttons and showed Leo the screen. "This one, right?"

Leo sighed, defeated. "Okay, you got me. But I swear I was going to give it back."

Reyna shrugged, looking completely indifferent. She put her phone back into her pocket and walked out of the kitchen. Leo pursed his lips, trying to figure out what she was thinking about. He probably lost some friendship points (if he had any) by lying about her phone.

A couple hours later, the kids had come down from their sugar high and Mrs. Jaramillo was finally able to take a break. Reyna was with Francisco and Beth, while Leo was outside. Mrs. Jaramillo sat on the couch as the other kids went about their own business. The atmosphere had mellowed out considerably as time passed.

Francisco was trying to retell a joke that Leo had told him, but Beth didn't get it. Reyna was amused at Francisco's face as he struggled to explain it to Beth. Unfortunately, Francisco got frustrated and gave up, which led Beth to remember one time when Leo got mad trying to untangle the chords in the game room. It intrigued Reyna how much of an impact Leo had on the kids at the daycare; she had no idea of his influence. The kids all seemed to like him. Sure, none of the kids were mean to her, and they listened to her, but it was evident that they loved Leo. Maybe she really should give him a chance and try to be his friend.

"Reyna," Beth called, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Which do you like better?"

"Huh?" Reyna turned to Beth.

"Chocolate or vanilla," Beth said. "Francisco likes vanilla ice cream, but I like chocolate."

"Oh." Reyna chuckled and pretended to think for a moment. "I'll say…chocolate."

Beth looked triumphant. "Ha! See?" She looked to Francisco. "Chocolate's better."

Francisco pouted. "Let's ask Mrs. Jaramillo!"

The two kids got up and ran to Mrs. Jaramillo. Reyna stood up too; it was time she head back home, before it got dark outside. She bade Mrs. Jaramillo goodbye and was about to walk out when Leo came in through the back.

"You're leaving?" he asked as he walked up to her.

She nodded. "I just have to go to the bus stop, it's not far."

Leo pursed his lips. "That's still a few blocks over, isn't it? Let me walk you."

Reyna was a bit taken aback. Where did the sudden kindness come from? _Perhaps he's just trying to pay you back,_ Reyna thought to herself. She let her suspicions go and eventually agreed to walk with him, which Leo looked pleasantly surprised at.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a while as they walked. Leo had his hands behind his head and was whistling while Reyna stared at the sidewalk. The tune she heard from Leo was unfamiliar to her, and she became curious.

"What are you whistling?" she asked politely.

Leo stopped abruptly and looked at her for a moment. "It's a Spanish lullaby my mom used to sing to me. Calms me down."

Reyna furrowed her brow. "Why, are you nervous?"

"Well yeah," Leo said matter-of-factly. "I feel like you hate me." He shrugged.

Reyna thought about that. She _did _get angry at him often, but she didn't hate Leo. He just kept finding ways to get under her skin, and sometimes Reyna just couldn't keep her frustrations inside her.

"I don't," Reyna contradicted him. "You're just annoying." She smiled teasingly.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay your highness."

"Stop calling me that."

"Make me."

"Ugh. See what I mean?" Reyna complained.

Leo didn't respond. "So, are you going to be coming 'round by the daycare more often?"

"Um." Reyna took a minute to process the question, since Leo changed the subject so quickly. "I might. I like the kids, and Mrs. Jaramillo's always been kind to me."

"Aw, what about me?" Leo whined, giving her a mock pout.

Reyna sighed. "I could do with or without."

"Come on, you know you love me," Leo teased.

She scoffed. "Not even close, Valdez."

They bantered until they reached the bus stop. Leo insisted on waiting for the bus with her too, but Reyna didn't object much. She was secretly having fun talking with Leo. As annoying as she thought he was Leo had a likeable personality. He was really genuine, maybe a little crude at times, but the longer Reyna talked to him, the more she smiled. It felt strange to her.

The bus came, and as Reyna got on the bus, she watched through the windows as Leo waved goodbye with a goofy smile. Reyna laughed and gestured for him to get going. She never met a person that could make her laugh so much. After she left the bus stop, Reyna took out her phone and sent a message.

Leo started back at the daycare when Reyna left. He noticed she didn't talk too much, but she didn't give him that judging look anymore, to which he was relieved. Suddenly his phone buzzed. Leo pulled out his phone and checked the message. He didn't know the number, but he chuckled when he read the message.

_Don't miss me too much, Valdez._

_-Reyna_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ah, teenagers can just be so fickle. Haha, you guys know what I mean, right? Please review, feedback from my readers always makes my day!**

**Till next time, then!**

**~Abi-Jewel**


	7. Part I: Chapter 7

**A/N: I am truly sorry for the unexpectedly long hiatus; classes have been a pain lately. I doubt this chapter will be enough to suffice so I'll try to get the next one up and running ASAP. Again, I apologize for the wait. I'm grateful for those of you who have stuck around for this chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.**

* * *

><p>"Ha! Seven-to-five, Valdez!" Jason shouted.<p>

"No fair!" Leo laughed. "You traveled, man!"

Jason tried to steady his breathing. Okay, maybe he _did_ travel, but Leo stepped on his foot earlier. He was just getting even. "I'm going to sit down for awhile," he panted.

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "We've been playing for an hour straight. You got any water?"

Jason went inside to grab a few bottles, careful not to disturb Thalia in the living room. She was giving lessons to her friend's little sister. It was the only class she held at home, since her real part-time job was at the music school.

When Jason went out into the backyard again, he noticed Leo was thinking real hard about something, which was unusual. As intelligent as Leo was, he was really scatterbrained and often never focused on any one thought, unless he was into it. Jason sat next to him and handed him a water bottle.

"What's up, Leo?" Jason asked. "You're unusually quiet."

Leo sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know. I've just been thinking."

"That's a first," Jason joked. Contrary to what he expected, Leo didn't react, and Jason was starting to think something was up. He patiently waited for Leo to tell him.

"I can't get this person out of my head," Leo started off, and Jason could tell where this was going. "It's really weird."

"A girl," Jason stated. He didn't need to ask, since he figured as much. Leo nodded, and Jason continued, "So, how do you know her? What's her name?"

"Let's call her 'her majesty'," Leo suggested. He wasn't quite comfortable with openly talking about Reyna just yet. "We met at Mrs. Jaramillo's."

Jason nodded, encouraging Leo to go on. He knew it made Leo feel better to keep talking rather than hold back, and Jason always listened well.

"I've seen her, like, three or four times," Leo said. "She doesn't talk much, and at first she hated me, but…"

"How about now?" Jason coaxed.

Leo shrugged and sighed again. At that moment, a new voice came from the house: "My, my. Having girl problems, Leo?"

The boys looked up and saw Thalia standing at the door. She walked over to them and sat in between them, putting her arms around their shoulders. "The lesson finished early." She turned to Leo. "So how's it going so far? Is she cute?"

Leo ears turned red, and Thalia laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's see…what do you like about her?"

"I never said I liked her," Leo protested hastily. Thalia and Jason saw right through him though, and Leo gave up. "Maybe a little. She's pretty cool, you know, when she's not scolding me or glaring at me."

"Ah, young love," Thalia sighed jokingly. "Always such a hassle."

"But Thalia," Jason cut in, "you've never even dated as far as I know. How would you know it was a hassle?"

Thalia glared and smacked the backside of Jason's head. The three of them laughed and Thalia ruffled their hair. "Just don't let your emotions rule your life, Leo, and you should be fine," she said. "I mean, there's all this stuff about following your heart, but you can't live without your head either."

"Cockroaches can," Jason interrupted again, giving an innocent smile when Thalia looked at him.

Thalia rolled her eyes. Jason was just trying to annoy her now. "Okay then, my smartass little brother, who's your object of affection, hm?"

Jason didn't answer; he merely stared at his oh-so-interesting shoelaces, causing Leo to chuckle and say, "He doesn't have one. All the girls throw themselves at him, but he acts like he doesn't care."

"Well," Thalia said shaking her brothers shoulders a little. "You should just relax, buddy. Even if you're not looking for her, you'll know when you find her, trust me."

Leo noticed the sky getting dark. He stood up. "I gotta go, guys. My mom's waiting for me at home." He exited through the gate. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Good luck!" the Grace siblings called out simultaneously.

Leo chuckled to himself. He loved Jason and Thalia like family, and he hoped they felt the same because he didn't know what he'd do without them. Being an only child was lonely sometimes, even with his mom around.

He thought about Thalia's advice, but wasn't quite sure how she expected him to use his head. Maybe she just wanted him to assess the situation.

Reyna—her majesty—didn't seem to be mad at Leo anymore, which was a relief. They'd gotten along much better than when they first met. It was easier to make her laugh, she smiled more, and Leo was able to let more of himself show around her.

He didn't know what do really. Even when she smiled at him, Leo felt like he had to keep his guard up still. It was crazy, his head told him so, but Leo was just really worried. If he made the wrong move, Reyna could be pushed out of his reach. But hey, wasn't that Leo's thing? To go after girl's out of his league? The thing was, he didn't _want_ Reyna to be out of his league; he liked being sort-of-friends with her.

Leo groaned as he approached his house. _What is wrong with me?_ Leo thought. He tried to clear his head when he walked inside so his mother wouldn't notice anything different. Predictably though, she had noticed.

"_Mijo_, what's wrong?" she asked as Leo slumped onto the couch.

Leo curled up and leaned on the armrest. "Nothing. It's just this person I've been thinking about."

"Who?" Esperanza was intrigued now.

"You remember, Reyna?" Leo looked up at his mom, and realization spread across her face.

"I see." Esperanza smiled, taking a seat by her son. "Her highness?"

Leo managed a bit of a smirk. "Yeah, her."

"You like her?"

No response. Esperanza scooted closer to Leo and put an arm around his shoulders. "Leo," she began, "no matter what, I'll support you; I know you'll make the right choice."

"Mom," Leo complained, "that's what _all_ parents say to their kids."

"_Well, then there must be a reason, hm?_" Esperanza chuckled, encouraging her son to laugh along.

"It's just…" Leo trailed off. "Sometimes it feels like she could be interested, and sometimes she wants to kill me."

Esperanza nodded. "Sounds like love to me."

Leo rolled his eyes. "You've been watching too many soap operas. I haven't even known her for a year."

"You never know." Esperanza raised an eyebrow. "_Just don't do anything stupid_." Leo's mom winked at him and went back to her room.

Leo in turn went into his bedroom and collapsed on the bed with a muffled grunt. The idea that he liked Reyna and that Reyna may possibly kind of like him just a bit was eating him up. He didn't know what to do; all he knew was that he wanted to see her again.

That settled it.

Leo pulled out his phone and dialed Reyna's number. A few rings later, a familiar voice picked up.

"Hello?" She sounded surprised.

"Hey Reyna," Leo spoke. "It's me."

A laugh was heard on the other end. "Yes, I know. You put my number into my phone, remember?"

"Right. Well." Leo paused. He didn't really plan on getting this far. In the back of his mind he thought she'd ignore him. Now, he had no idea what he was going to say. "I was thinking if you aren't busy, do you want to hang out Saturday?" Leo quickly thought of an excuse. "You know, 'cause getting to know each other better might help when we're at Mrs. Jaramillo's…?"

For a few tantalizing moments, Reyna didn't say anything. "Um, maybe," she finally spoke. "Sounds like fun I guess." There was muffled speaking coming from Reyna's line. "I'll have to talk to you later though, Leo. There's something I got to do right now. Bye!"

Reyna hung up hastily and clutched the phone to her chest. _Did that just happen?_ she thought. Did Leo Valdez really just ask if she wanted to "hang out"? But she supposed it wouldn't hurt…

"Oh gosh," she said to herself. "What is going on?"

"Reyna!" her mother called again, peeking in from the door.

"Coming!"

In the living room, Reyna's parents were waiting for her. Her father, as usual, looked indifferent to whatever was going on, but Reyna noticed a crease on her mother's forehead that indicated worry.

Reyna's mother cleared her throat. "So," she began, "you've been spending more time at Mrs. Jaramillo's."

Reyna nodded, not daring to speak. She turned to her father, who said nothing either.

"Well," her mother continued, "your father…and I are wondering if this is the best choice for you."

Reyna caught the paused her mother had before including herself in the conversation. She didn't want Reyna's father to look like the only bad guy, or single him out. Reyna knew in her heart that her mother encouraged her working with the kids, that it wasn't a bad thing, but her father…

"You should be studying," he interjected. "You can't waste all your time with children."

Reyna was indignant. "Dad, it's not a waste of time. Working with kids is a valuable experience."

"They're children," he argued. "What could they possibly give to you that would serve you better than your education?" Reyna heard him mutter, "Your sister was never like this."

"Leave Hylla out of this, Dad," Reyna said, gritting her teeth.

Reyna's dad raised an eyebrow. "Very well, then." He stood up. "I'll leave you to make your mistakes."

Reyna's insides were boiling. She tried to keep her emotions in check. Blowing up didn't help anyone. Plus, she knew her father, his behavior shouldn't surprise her. Reyna let out a long sigh, and felt her mother's hand on her shoulder. She looked up.

"I'm sorry, Rey," her mother said sadly. "He's only tough on you because he's sees a lot of your sister inside you, and, well, you two aren't exactly alike."

"That's the problem," Reyna stated. "Hylla and I can be similar, but we _aren't_ the same person. I don't know why he doesn't understand that."

Reyna's mother nodded in understanding. "I know, honey, I know. Give it time. He doesn't show affection much, but he really is proud of you."

"Yeah, and I bet he's proud of my 'mistakes' too," Reyna countered bitterly.

"Don't think about it too much." Reyna's mom patted her shoulder and left the living room.

Reyna sighed. She needed a distraction from this, something to keep her mind of off what was happening. After debating back and forth with herself, she finally picked up her phone and dialed the number. Reyna counted three rings before he picked up.

"Yeah?" His voice sounded cautious.

Reyna took a deep breath. "Hey Leo, um, about Saturday…"

"Oh," Leo said dejectedly. "Look, if you don't want to it's alright. I don't really know what I was thinking—"

"No, no," Reyna interrupted. "That's not it. I—well…" Reyna mentally cursed herself, wishing she was as good with words as the rest of her family. "I'd love to."

A pause, then, "Really?"

Reyna shook her head and tried to keep herself from laughing. "Yes, really. When and where?"

"Actually, I'm not sure," Leo admitted. Reyna could picture that nervous smile on his face. "Didn't really plan this out very well. How about you meet me at the park two blocks down from Mrs. Jaramillo's? Then maybe we can do a little walking around or something, whatever you want."

"Hm. Okay, I like that." Reyna tried to keep the grin off of her face.

"Cool!" Leo cleared his throat. "I mean, well, you know—ah…so, see you Saturday?"

"Yeah, see you Saturday."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'll try to be better with my updates! Thanks for still reading!**

**-Abi-Jewel**


	8. Part I: Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, yes, I know, I'm horrible at updating. But even when I had everything planned out, writer's block (and lots of other work) was inevitable, and I apologize yet again for the sporadic updates. These next few chapters may seem be a little short, or they may go by fairly quickly, since I'm nearing the end of part one.**

**I'm grateful for those of you who have decided to stick around and wait ever-so-patiently (that was not sarcastic, I promise) for someone as cruel as me. Thanks LeoKryieSonOfHephaeustus for trying to message me, though I have to admit I didn't log into fanfiction until recently (which reminds me, the new layout was quite a surprise). Without further ado, here's chapter eight.**

****DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything affiliated with Rick Riordan's works.****

* * *

><p>Friday night, Reyna was working on her math homework when she heard the car pull in. At first, she didn't think anything of it; she thought it was just be another car passing by, but the sound didn't fade when it reached the house. The engine cut, and the owner locked the car. Reyna got up and walked to her window to peek through her blinds just as she heard the doorbell rang. A familiar red car was parked outside by the curb.<p>

Quickly, Reyna made her way downstairs, trying not to trip over the steps in excitement. The first thing she saw was her dad's smile. At that instant, Reyna knew: Hylla was home.

"Hey Rey!" a familiar voice greeted Reyna. "How've you been?"

Hylla was standing in the kitchen, looking the same as ever. She came over and squeezed the living daylights out of her sister. Reyna hugged her sister back and, with a chuckle, responded, "Fine, but how come you're home already? It's not even spring break yet!"

Their mom interjected the sisters' reunion. "How about we talk about this over dinner later? Sound like a plan?"

"Are you going to be cooking, Belle?" their father asked.

She chuckled. "Do you not like my cooking, Arthur?" she retorted.

They all laughed.

Hylla's surprise visit lifted everyone's spirits. Reyna noticed her dad's demeanor change drastically, and her mother was humming a rare tune as she cooked. Hylla hadn't changed a bit, either. It was as if they rewound time to four years ago, before Hylla had started college and they were all happy.

At the dinner table, Hylla took her usual spot in between Reyna and her dad, an arrangement that had been made after the first time Reyna had talked back to her father at the table. The incident didn't end well. Hylla became the mediator to any arguments starting between the two.

"So, Hylla," Arthur turned to his eldest daughter, "What are your plans here?"

"Oh, nothing really." Hylla smiled coyly. "I just wanted to visit you all for the weekend. San Diego's not that far from here and I have down time so I figured why not."

Reyna silently ate while she watched her sister and her father converse animatedly. She enjoyed it, since it was the only time her dad seemed to be truly elated. It almost made Reyna jealous.

A few minutes later, Reyna heard Hylla say, "Well, maybe Rey and I could have a little girls' day out this weekend or something."

They were all looking at Reyna now. Hylla smiled apologetically for putting the spotlight on her and added, "You know, if you aren't busy."

"I, well—" Reyna set her fork down. "I made plans for tomorrow, actually. Is Sunday alright?"

The table was suddenly quiet, and Reyna couldn't figure out why. Was it so abnormal for a teenager to have plans on Saturday? Reyna knew that that wasn't the case, though. In reality, it was just abnormal that _she_ had any plans at all.

Arthur gave his youngest daughter a disapproving look. "Why would you make your sister wait after she's come all the way over? Surely your plans aren't more important than family, Reyna."

Reyna sighed. "Dad, it's not that, I just don't want to cancel—"

"Don't tell me it's that daycare _again_."

"Dad!"

"What daycare?" Hylla interrupted, looking back and forth between the two.

Arthur sighed and said, "Reyna you really need to sort out your priorities—"

Without warning, Reyna stood up, biting her lip to keep from saying anything she might regret. She muttered a strained "excuse me" before bringing her plate to the sink and going upstairs to her room, leaving the rest of her family in shock.

Frustrated, Reyna flopped onto her bed and sighed exasperatedly. Why did her dad have to do that? Why did he have to deliberately try to embarrass her in front of her own sister? Reyna knew that Hylla would understand, but every time her dad said something, she felt so…small. And she hated it.

Reyna heard the footsteps outside her door, and instantly she knew who it was. "Come in," she said, before Hylla could knock.

The door opened quietly, carefully, and Hylla came into view. Her lips were pursed, and her eyebrows furrowed as if she'd been thinking hard. Without a word, she sat at the foot of Reyna's bed. Hylla poked her sister's leg to get a reaction out of her.

"Hey!" Renya protested.

Hylla laughed lightly. "Well, at least I know you're functioning." She looked at Reyna sadly. "I'm guessing you and dad are still having problems?"

Reyna groaned. "Sure, let's go with that." She pouted, not wanting to delve deeper into the subject. Their father was being downright infuriating. Reyna wondered if he was doing it on purpose to get her to behave.

The eldest daughter opted to avoid the topic for now. She could always ask about it later. "So how's home school?"

"It's fine," Reyna answered predictably. "But, well, you know mom. All that work she gives is a little exhausting."

Hylla nodded sympathetically. Their mother was often like that, always wanting to push them to their highest, but probably putting too much into it. Hylla assumed their father's ambition probably rubbed off on their mother, since she knew mom hadn't always been such a strict person (with education, at least).

Still, that wasn't the real reason Hylla had asked. She knew home school got to be pretty lonely sometimes. Hylla remembered those years growing up where she'd be shut inside her room, studying for hours on end. Reyna would be doing the same thing. The two, although living together, would be separated for majority of the time they spent at home. Even so, for the most part, they always had each other. Even the neighbors they befriended seemed distant to them. But Hylla had usually been the more sociable one, the daughter that most people approached first.

Hylla worried that her sister might not be so lucky once Hylla left for college. She always looked out for Reyna. But with what dad had been talking about, Hylla supposed Reyna wasn't being too antisocial.

"What was that whole thing about the daycare?" Hylla asked, smirking. "Aren't you a little too old for that?"

"Tch." Reyna resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sat upright on the bed. "I only volunteer to help. It hasn't even been that often before lately."

Hylla titled her head. "How often?" Reyna working at a daycare was the last thing Hylla expected. It was hard to imagine her interacting with children. Reyna wasn't exactly the warm, motherly type of girl. In fact, as far as first impressions go, Reyna was the quiet, reserved, and polite one while Hylla did most of the talking.

"I used to go once a week. Sometimes I come more than once, nowadays." Reyna sighed, like the work was tiring her out.

"Never knew you liked helping out with children." Hylla paused to think about the idea. "Funny, you've never been much of a child yourself."

Reyna pursed her lips in thought. "You sounded like Leo for a second there," she muttered under her breath.

"Who?"

"Nothing."

Hylla narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. She knew Reyna was hiding something. The poor girl didn't like opening up, but Hylla would make for darn sure that she knew what was going on in her little sister's life. She didn't want Reyna making any stupid decisions. They couldn't afford those.

"Talk," Hylla said at last.

Reyna bit her lip, but conceded. She started from her and Leo's first unofficial "meeting." The rest flowed from that point on: the first time they spoke, when she saved his mother, the cupcake incident—Reyna got all the way up to the most recent point: Leo asking if she wanted to hang out.

Reyna appreciated Hylla's patience, since Reyna was sure she sounded like a typical whiny teenager. Her sister only nodded for her to continue and chuckled occasionally. When Reyna finished, she waited anxiously for Hylla's verdict, which was evidently postponed when Hylla's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Hylla asked when she picked up. Reyna listened to her sister's conversation (or rather, half of it). "Oh, hey Thalia!…Yeah, I just got into town. The drive wasn't that bad…Uh-huh…Oh, really? ...Yeah, we should really catch up…Okay, sounds good…Tomorrow it is then! See you there!"

Reyna raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Thalia. That name sounded familiar.

"Wait, Thalia from New York?" Reyna asked suddenly. An image of a spirited teenager with spiky black hair and blue eyes flashed in Reyna's mind.

On a family trip to the east coast, when Hylla was seventeen and Reyna was about ten, Hylla had made a few friends. Thalia Grace was one of them. She and Hylla had exchanged emails and kept contact for a while, but Reyna didn't realize they had stayed friends all this time.

Hylla smiled. "Yup. Didn't I tell you she moved to L.A.?"

"I don't remember." Reyna furrowed her brow in thought. "You two still talk?"

Hylla stuck her tongue out indignantly. "Don't judge me, we were homeschooled, kept from the outside world. People need friends. It's just how it is." Her playful expression soon turned serious. "About this Leo kid, Rey…"

"It's fine!" Reyna said a little quickly. "We don't have to talk about it."

"Oh, I _know_ we do, little sis." Hylla ruffled Reyna's hair. "Seems you two have been through a lot, considering it hasn't even been a few months. Is there anything else I should know about him?"

Reyna shifted her gaze to the side. "No, not really."

But Hylla wasn't buying it. The redness in Reyna's cheeks was a big giveaway.

"Oh, all right, Hylla." Reyna paused, thinking carefully of what to say first. "He's infuriating," she decided. "He makes up these lame excuses and always tries to make jokes, which really aren't that funny. Okay, some of them are but that's beside the point. He's crazy, and he acts like a kid! That's probably why he gets along so well with children. And he's such a mama's boy, but Esperanza's really nice—"

"Whoa there, Rey." Hylla stopped her sister halfway through her ramble.

Reyna smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry. I'm not as good at speaking as you are."

"That's what you think," Hylla said conspiratorially. She knew better than to believe her little sister. Reyna was capable of very captivating and persuasive speech, just not under pressure. "Is he a smart kid, though?" Hylla continued, getting back to the topic at hand.

"What kind of question is that?" Reyna looked at her sister incredulously. "That has nothing to do with anything!"

"Come on, Rey," Hylla pressed. "You know that's the first thing dad's going to ask, especially since he asked you out.

"_What?_" Reyna spluttered. That was a ludicrous assumption! She and Leo were not on those terms, not even close. "Hylla, that's crazy! Dad would never let that happen. And Leo didn't 'ask me out,' he was just being friendly." Under her breath, Reyna muttered, "For once."

"There are a lot of things about Dad that you wouldn't expect," Hylla mused, ignoring the last part of Reyna's protest. "I thought he wouldn't let me go to UCSD, but he did."

Reyna blinked. It was rare that Hylla and dad disagreed. Reyna hadn't known about their dispute over Hylla's choice in college. "Seriously? I thought dad was all for anything you wanted." She shifted her gaze to the side. "After all, that's how it's always been, hasn't it?"

"Keep up with that bitter attitude, and you won't be able to taste the sweet stuff later on," Hylla advised in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Now you're just rubbing it in!" Reyna crossed her arms. "Using those poetic words that dad is always so impressed with."

"Nice of you to acknowledge, Rey," Hylla said, "but I'm speaking the truth."

"I know, I know."

Reyna closed her eyes and lay down on her bed. Hylla was right. The past wasn't something people should dwell on. Maybe if she could just tough it out until she moved out too, everything would be okay.

"Yeah." Hylla smiled in that loving-older-sibling way. "I know you do." She stood up and walked towards the door. Before Hylla exited the room, she looked back at Reyna and said, "Just don't forget that sometimes, things _do_ matter at this age. They always say that ten years from now, it won't matter, but there are some people who wouldn't be who they were today if not for something that happened ten years ago. Your thoughts, words, actions, and the _effects_ of those thoughts, words, and actions now could shape you up for the rest of your life." Hylla looked at Reyna's dumbfound expression before smiling again. This time, her smile was all too innocent. "Just so you know, Rey."

Hylla left the room without any further explanation. Reyna stared after her, wondering what possessed her sister to produce a mini-lecture in the middle of nowhere. The younger sister just shook her head and grumbled, "Again with the fancy words, Hylla. You always have to make a dramatic exit."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope I'm still able to live up to what I've so far created. Just a reminder, I do have high hopes for this fiction's turnouts. It's a shame that I don't really know how popular the Leyna ship has gotten, so for me there's no telling if more people will end up reading this, but I'm crossing my fingers that I can still elicit some good feedback. **

**Thank you for your patience!**

**~Abi-Jewel**


	9. Part I: Chapter 9

**A/N: Guess who's back? After almost a year since my last update! I'm terrible. **

**Well, I'll keep this short so y'all can get to reading. More A/N at the end though, so I can explain myself.**

**There may be a couple more typos in this one than usual so I'll hafta come back and make some tweaks.**

* * *

><p>Saturday mornings were always Leo's favorite. He wasn't at all an early riser, but once he did actually get up, he was usually in a good mood. Today especially. The smell of waffles was settling through the house and Leo's stomach growled ferociously.<p>

"Yeah, yeah," Leo mumbled, rubbing his stomach. "I hear you."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, prodding the cold hardwood floor with his toes before getting up and walking out of his room. On his way to the kitchen, Leo stopped by the bathroom. He washed his face, ran a hand through his curly hair, and sighed. Leo never paid much attention to his appearance, mostly because it didn't matter to him until now. His face looked tired, but that probably was due to the fact that he just woke up. It reminded him of his mom. Speaking of which—

"Leo!" Esperanza called from the kitchen. "Are you up, _mijo_?"

When she saw Leo enter the kitchen, she smiled brightly, accentuating her laugh lines. She had set some waffles on the table along with a glass of milk for him. Esperanza was sitting at the table even though she had already eaten, and she had a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Morning," Leo said, taking his seat at the table. As he ate, he snuck a glance at his mother's face. She seemed unusually chipper.

"So," she began expectantly.

"So?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"What are you planning today with Reyna?" Esperanza asked.

Leo almost choked on his waffle. "Oh, um—yeah, that."

Esperanza sighed, going to Spanish. "_Don't tell me you forgot about it. Even I remembered."_

"I didn't forget!" He completely forgot.

His mom chuckled, but didn't say anything after that. She let him finish his meal before bringing it up again. As Leo was putting his dishes in the sink, she asked again, "So _do _you have a plan?"

Unexpectedly, Leo groaned, but not in annoyance. He propped his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. Esperanza got up and walked over to her son, rubbing his back comfortingly and trying to get a good look at his expression.

"I don't," Leo admitted. His voice was slightly muffled until he took his hands away from his face. "I'm not even sure why I asked her in the first place, you know? The first real friend I've ever had since I was five was Jason. I don't know how to deal with people, let alone a girl!"

Esperanza chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Calm down _mijo_, or you're going to make it seem worse than it is."

"Seems pretty bad to me," Leo mumbled.

She frowned. "Stop that. Look—" Esperanza rested a hand on his shoulder "—you will be fine, Leo. Just be yourself, but be respectful too. It's important to make a good impression on a first date."

Leo straightened up quickly and turned to stare at his mom. "It's not a date," he argued, but his eyebrows were pulling together the way they do when he's worried. "We're just hanging out. As friends."

"You sure?" his mother teased.

Leo rolled his eyes, but smiled a bit. Esperanza ran a hand through his hair, pulled him close, and kissed his forehead. "She must be special, though, eh?"

He knew what she meant, and she didn't need him to say it. Leo liked Reyna, even if he couldn't admit it to himself or anyone else. From what Esperanza knew, Leo claimed to have crushes on many girls before, but they never seemed to last long.

"I don't know why I'm hanging around her so much," Leo said.

"Well," Esperanza said, "sometimes you don't fall out of crushes that easily."

The teenager became indignant again. "It's not a crush!" he insisted. "It's just…for the daycare. Reyna said she'd be around more often so I think it's best for the kids and Mrs. Jaramillo if we can get along."

Esperanza smiled and shrugged. He was stubborn sometimes, like his father.

Leo checked the clock. It was around ten o'clock. He was supposed to meet Reyna around noon. "I think I'll take my bike and stop by Jason's before meeting Reyna at the park. He's closer to it anyways."

His mom nodded, and Leo got ready to leave. Once he was out of the house, he allowed himself to clear his mind for a moment, of Reyna, of dating, of everything, until he reached Jason's place. Leo knew Jason would let him leave the bike there for the day and Leo could just walk to the park afterward.

Jason was happy to see Leo when he came. "Hey man," he said, inviting Leo inside. "Thalia's out today, I thought I was going to be bored out of my mind."

Leo chuckled. "Well I can't stay for too long," he reminded him. "I don't know if you remember, but I'm meeting up with her highness at lunch."

"Ah." Jason looked at Leo knowingly, but didn't say anything. "So when are you planning on telling me her name?"

Leo pretended to think about it. "Maybe never."

"Selfish," Jason accused.

Jason grabbed some snacks from the pantry and he and Leo flopped onto the sofa in Jason's living room. Leo took the remote and flipped it on to a random channel. For a while they just mindlessly stared at the television and ate Cheetos from the bag, careful not to stain the beige couch or else Thalia would kill them.

"So where's your sister anyways?" Leo eventually asked with his mouth full.

Jason wiped at his face before answering. "Out with a friend I think. Long distance, haven't seen each other in person since forever, but they email all the time."

"Oh."

"Yup." Jason nodded, taking another handful of Cheetos. "It was crazy; you should've seen it. And I think I should partially blame you."

"Me?" Leo sat up straight and swallowed. He shot Jason a confused look. "What'd I do?"

Jason smirked, but his eyes were still glued to the screen. "Nah, I'm joking. But since you told Thalia that I haven't found a girl yet or something, she's been trying to set me up. Apparently her friend's got a younger sister and they wanted us to go out today."

"Gross," Leo said, wrinkling his nose and turning back to the television.

"Well." Jason shrugged. "I've never met her. Don't even know her name and I think even Thalia forgot, but it doesn't really matter. I can't ever go on a blind date; that's just too weird for me."

"Here, here," Leo said, raising a fist. "You told your sister no, then?"

Jason chuckled. "Didn't have too. Apparently the sister has some plans already, so I'm off the hook."

Leo laughed. "Hey man, what time is it?"

Jason checked his watch. "Uh. 11:57."

"Shoot!" Leo scrambled to get off the couch, almost knocking the chips everywhere. Jason got a hold of the bag and put it on the coffee table, looking up at his friend worriedly.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

Leo hand his hand on the door already. "I'm gonna be late for her majesty's audience." He stood up straight and patted at his clothes. "How do I look?"

Jason raised an eyebrow and smirked, causing Leo to roll his eyes and leave without saying goodbye. The blond went back to the couch, taking the remote and changing the channel a few times before stopping on cartoons.

"Is he sure it's not a date?" Jason asked himself aloud.

At the park, Reyna was sitting on a stone bench, passing time by looking at the clouds. It was a nice spring day, not too hot or cold, with a light breeze in the air. She'd actually come early, so she didn't notice that Leo was ten minutes late.

Really all she wanted was to get out of the house. Hylla was even meeting up with a friend of her own, and, no offense to her mother, but Reyna didn't want to be in the house with her at the moment. When her dad was out working (which was pretty much 90% of the time) Reyna's mom would try to play therapist or something and ask Reyna questions, especially after what had happened. Reyna knew her mom meant well, but it was kind of annoying.

What she was going to do about her family problems, Reyna didn't know, but it seemed that right now she was just trying to run from them.

She heard Leo before she saw him. He called her name, and she turned toward the direction of his voice. Leo was running up to her, and when he reached her he was panting a little. Reyna raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry I'm late," Leo said, scratching the back of his head.

Reyna blinked. It seemed like he was really making an effort. She hadn't expected that. Honestly she would've been fine if he didn't show up at all. Perhaps slightly offended, but mostly fine.

"No, it's alright," she told Leo. "I understand."

He seemed surprised. "Really?" Leo cleared his throat. "I mean, great! So—uh, what do you want to do?"

"Um. I don't know." Reyna frowned. She hadn't thought they would get this far along in the first place.

There was an awkward pause, and a rather long one.

Not being able to stand the silence, Leo darted his eyes around for something of interest. He spotted an ice cream truck parked on the curb and suddenly had an idea.

"You wanna go for ice cream?" Leo asked.

Reyna followed his line of sight, and she looked back at him like _Seriously? That's your plan?_

Leo laughed, offering his hand to Reyna. "No, not that. I don't really mean ice cream. I was thinking of something a little different." He raised his eyebrows expectantly. "I promise, it's just a few blocks from here."

Reyna looked cautious, but she took Leo's hand and he pulled her up. He led her out of the park and down the road. She wasn't entirely familiar with the direction he was going; her house was the other way and she'd never been beyond the park. In fact, she hadn't been there since she was a little girl. It was just coincidence that Leo decided to pick this place to meet up.

They didn't talk the entire walk over. Leo had his hands in his pockets and he was looking forward. Reyna had her hands clasped behind her back as she walked.

If they were to tell the truth about it, they were both thinking about bailing out, pretending to get a phone call and leaving in false urgency just to avoid the awkwardness. Neither of them did, and soon the awkwardness faded and it was just silence. Nothing more, nothing less. And they were okay with it.

"We're here," Leo said finally.

Reyna looked around. They were standing in front of a small shop. On the glass door was something in Italian that she didn't really get a good look at because Leo opened the door and gestured for her to follow him in. On the inside, the place looked like a regular ice cream parlor. Reyna glanced at Leo questioningly.

"It's actually gelato," Leo explained. "Italian, you know?"

"Yes, I know it's Italian," Reyna replied, albeit more curtly than she had intended. She mentally kicked herself.

Leo smiled and walked up to the counter. The only man that seemed to be working there was middle-aged and bulky, with black hair and a prominent nose.

"Ah, Leo!" he said. "How are you?"

"Fine, Jay," Leo replied. "I trust you're okay."

"Yeah, yeah." Jay waved a hand. "So, what can I get you?"

Leo looked back at Reyna, who had already taken a seat at a table by the wall. She rested her hand on her hand and was looking out the window with a rather blank expression. He chuckled and turned back.

"Girlfriend?" Jay guessed, pointing at Reyna.

Leo shook his head. "Nah. Get me one vanilla, one chocolate. Both small. Keep the change." He gave Jay a five-dollar bill.

Jay nodded, going to fulfill the order, putting the scoops in paper cups and handing Leo the little plastic spoons. Leo brought the gelato back over to Reyna and handed her the chocolate one. He took the seat in front of her.

"I didn't even know you were ordering already," Reyna told him, taking the spoon gingerly.

"You do seem a bit out of it," Leo pointed out, taking a bite of his vanilla. "What's on your mind?"

"How did you know I liked chocolate?" Reyna asked him. She seemed genuinely surprised.

"Doesn't everyone?" Leo chuckled, drumming his fingers against the table before taking another bite. "I'm kidding. The kids from Mrs. Jaramillo's told me."

Reyna's face relaxed and she pursed her lips. She began eating her own portion, and while she didn't say anything, Leo knew she liked it. He felt like he could breath now.

"Seriously though," Leo said, putting his ice cream aside. "What're you thinking about? I mean, unless you don't want to say."

She ate a little more before answering. "Nothing really. My dad's just being really hard on me because of my older sister. She's pretty much his perfect child, so I think I'm disappointing him."

Watching Reyna's face as she spoke made Leo sympathize. He didn't know what it was like, but Reyna was really bothered by it.

"If there's one thing I know," Leo said, "it's that parents are always proud of their kids as long as they try their best."

Reyna looked at him curiously.

"Really," he pressed on. "You gotta trust me on that. It might be a good idea to try and patch things up with your dad while you have the chance."

Suddenly Reyna knew what this was about. Leo was talking about his own father. He wasn't around anymore, but there was something about Leo's tone that made her think. She tried to change the subject.

"So, um, how's your mom?" she asked him tentatively.

Leo smiled slightly, and relief washed over Reyna. "She's doing all right," he said. "I'm always scared that she still might overdo it, but I have to believe in her."

He was always happy when mentioning his mom, and Reyna felt that she made the right turn in the conversation. At least they were going somewhere now. After maybe an hour or so of talking, Reyna suggested that they return to the park.

The walk back was much like the first one, except they were both thinking about different things that time. Reyna found that she'd learned a lot of Leo in just a short amount of time:

He really likes apple pie.

His favorite color is orange.

He got a black eye when he was three because of a fight in preschool.

He likes making tacos with his mom.

There was more, obviously, and Reyna thought it was quite peculiar how they opened up to each other so quickly. She in return even told him about Hylla and how they were both homeschooled and everything. For the first time since they met, she really felt like they could be friends.

Or maybe something more.

When they returned to the park, they sat down on the same bench where Leo had found Reyna. Reyna kicked her legs back and forth and Leo turned his face up to the sky.

"You know," he said, glancing back at her, "I don't think I've ever seen you wear something other than your collared shirts and khaki skirts."

Reyna faced the other way, fearing that her face might be red from embarrassment. It's true, her parents always wanted her to look neat and proper, but this time she was wearing shorts that went just above the knees and a purple blouse. Her hair was still pulled back in a ponytail.

She heard Leo chuckling. "Purple looks good on you," he said teasingly.

Reyna turned to him and lightly punched his shoulder. "Whatever," she argued lamely, a small grin tugging on the corner or her lips.

"Oh hey!" Leo bent forward and plucked a flower that was in the grass in front of him. "I didn't know daisies grew here."

Reyna looked at him incredulously. He was twirling the plant between his fingers and inspecting it. Without warning, he handed it to Reyna.

"Want it?" he asked her, eyebrows raised.

She looked at the white flower and pursed her lips, taking it in one hand. "Not really," she admitted.

"Heh, flowers don't suit you anyways," Leo noticed. "Too fragile."

"Excuse me?" She feigned a look of hurt, but they both laughed.

Leo stopped and pointed behind Reyna. "I think she might, though."

Reyna turned around to see a young blonde girl of about four standing by her, admiring the daisy with wide eyes. Reyna smiled at the little girl and asked, "Hi, sweetie, what's your name?"

"Sarah," the little girl said, smiling wide. She was missing a front tooth.

Leo laughed, watching the two. Reyna held a completely different demeanor when talking to kids. It was almost nurturing.

"Would you like this flower?" Reyna held it out to Sarah.

Sarah nodded. "Yes, please!"

Reyna leaned in and tucked the flower behind Sarah's little ear. The young girl giggled in delight and gave Reyna a hug.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, pulling back.

Reyna smiled warmly. "No problem."

"Wow, your highness," Leo remarked. "That was impressive."

Behind them, someone else called out, "Sarah!"

Sarah looked up. "Coming mommy!"

The girl's mother was already behind them, though, and Leo and Reyna turned around to say hello.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," her mom apologized. "I hope she didn't give you much trouble."

"Not at all," said Leo, grinning. "She's a sweet girl."

Sarah's mom smiled. "Why, thanks. I'm Lauren, by the way. Nice to meet you two."

Leo and Reyna introduce themselves, and Lauren insisted that the three of them take a photo. At first, Reyna resisted, but Leo convinced her and together they and Sarah posed as Lauren snapped the picture.

Afterwards, Sarah and Lauren bade them goodbye, but before she left, Lauren told Leo and Reyna, "You two make such a lovely couple!"

They both turned red.

"I—uh," Leo stuttered. "We're n—"

"Thank you," Reyna interrupted, smiling pleasantly.

Leo looked at her with wide eyes, and with that, Lauren left with Sarah, leaving the two alone again.

"What was that?" Leo demanded.

"What?" Reyna stared at him. "I was just saving her the embarrassment of being wrong."

"What about us?" Leo countered.

Reyna threw the question back at him. "What _about _us?"

For a second, he just glared at her. "Don't confuse me!" he accused. "It feels like everyone sees us like we're on a date or something!"

"And would that be so bad?" Reyna questioned him, making no further reaction to his outburst.

Leo stopped short. He scrutinized Reyna's face for a moment before speaking again. "No?" He shook his head and gestured at her. "Do _you_ want this to be a date?"

Reyna rolled her eyes and took Leo's hand in hers. She stood up and tugged on his hand for him to get up. "Come on, Valdez, let's find something else to do." She chuckled at his shocked expression. "I don't want to go home just yet."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: You would think that after so long I would have something more quality but I've actually been busy with a lot of other things. Mainly school. I also changed my penname (for personal reasons and all).**

**I really forgot about updating, but you know I love you guys and I did come back. Things are hectic, though I wanna dedicate myself to this story, so we can all make it to the end together. Of course, I already know the ending, but yeah. You get the idea. **

**I hope you all don't hate me too much for the long hiatus. I'll try to be better. **

**(I might a little slower than I would like to be, although I'll try to be more consistent. I actually also have a Rise of the Guardians chapter fanfic in the works, but I will only post the first chapter until the rest of the story is finish, so I can avoid this kind of fiasco. Anyways, I still have a lot on my plate so bear with me if you can.)**

**Thanks everyone!**

**~Chrys**


End file.
